


The Runaway

by twenty3



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcoholic Tony Stark, Angst, Anxiety Disorder, Child Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, IronStrange, Irondad, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Protective Tony Stark, Sexual Content, Tony Stark Has A Heart, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:13:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 93,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23160760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twenty3/pseuds/twenty3
Summary: “Boss,” FRIDAY suddenly called from the ceiling.Tony sighed against Stephen’s skin. “Is it life or death, FRI?”“I’m not quite sure,” came the response.Tony froze in his movements against Stephen, who propped himself up and to the side to move off of him. They looked at each other, the lust immediately starting to fade from their eyes.“What’s going on?” Tony almost demanded.“Harley Keener is in the elevator on his way up to the penthouse, Boss.”“What? Is he okay?”“His body temperature is quite low, likely due to the fact that he appears to have walked here in the pouring rain from the bus station.”In the midst of Tony and Stephen navigating the beginning of their relationship, Harley shows up at the Tower, in dire need of Tony's help to get away from his abusive father. Everything else gets put on the back burner as Tony is intent on doing everything in his power to protect the kid who gave him anxiety attacks and saved his life.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Comments: 136
Kudos: 960
Collections: A Labyrinth of Fics, My amazing all time favourites.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking!
> 
> I loved writing Harley so much in What If The Storm Ends that I wanted to do another story that focused more on him. This story will navigate some tough topics, namely child abuse. Please keep that in mind going forward, as later chapters will definitely be on the heavy side. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy, and are staying safe with everything going on in the world at the moment.

Both Tony and Stephen were to blame for the fact that they were currently making out like teenagers in Tony’s lab at the Tower. How they got there wasn’t necessarily all that important, but it had to do with the battle they had just finished fighting uptown, and the fact that Stephen absolutely hated that Tony refused to do anything that actually made any sense. The billionaire’s recklessness out in the field had pissed Stephen off to the point that he had portaled straight into Tony’s lab afterwards to continue yelling at him after most of his words had gone ignored earlier.

Tony had made a comment about knowing exactly what he was doing, and not needing a wizard to keep an eye on him. Stephen had shot back that maybe if he accepted help when he needed it, these battles would end a lot sooner. They went back and forth until Stephen demanded Tony just shut the hell up, to which the brunette had smirked and asked why Stephen wasn’t capable of shutting him up himself.

So Stephen had. By shoving his tongue in Tony’s mouth and forcing him back against his own desk.

Without a second thought, Tony kissed him back just as hard, tugging on the hair at the back of Stephen’s head to hold him in place as their tongues slid together. Their blossoming friendship and work relationship had been wrought with tension, and now they were both realizing that it had been mutual sexual tension. Which was presently boiling over as they attacked each other’s lips.

At one point or another, Tony sat on the edge of his desk, spreading his legs so Stephen could step between them. The sorcerer breathed a short moan when he felt the shorter man wrap his legs around his waist and roll his hips forward. Stephen’s hand shot down to grip Tony’s side, but in doing so, he aggravated a newly acquired injury.

Tony gasped in pain, pulling his mouth from Stephen and flinching away from his grip.

“Fuck,” Stephen breathed. “I’m sorry. Fuck. Are you okay?”

He moved his hand from Tony’s side to his thigh and took as much of a step back as he could given that Tony’s legs were still locked at the ankles behind him. He looked down at the other man, both of them panting and trying to catch their breaths. The sudden break in passion was allowing for their heads to clear. Stephen watched as Tony began thinking straight again, the pain a shock to his system bringing him back to reality.

“Yeah,” he lied after he caught his breath.

Stephen didn’t believe him for a second. “Can I take a look?”

Tony sighed, wanting to protest, but knew already that it was a losing battle. He dropped his legs from around Stephen and scooted back a bit more on the desk. He leaned back, bracing his right hand behind him to give the former doctor access to his injured right side. Stephen carefully lifted Tony’s t shirt to reveal an already dark bruise spanning from his ribs down to the curve of his hipbone. Shaky fingers gently brushed over the contusion, earning another wince from Tony.

“You’re lucky you didn’t break any ribs,” Stephen observed out loud. Tony huffed in agreement.

The weight of their make out session was starting to settle in the air, and Tony was feeling anxiety begin to replace the arousal that had been there when their argument spilled over into something finally happening between them. But this isn’t how he had wanted it to go. When he felt Stephen’s hand fall back to his thigh, he looked up at him, finally allowing for eye contact.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Stephen swallowed hard. “I should have realized you’d be banged up after that, I just-”

“I baited you. Not your fault,” Tony interrupted with a short laugh. Before Stephen could decide to move away, he continued. “I, uh, obviously don’t handle stuff like this well. Acting out is usually my go to before actually talking about anything. As I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

Stephen frowned slightly. “What are you trying to say?”

Tony dropped his eyes to look at Stephen’s scarred hand on his leg. “I’ve had feelings for you for a while now. And I didn’t know what to do about it. But I do know that I don’t want to do this the way I always have before. I don’t want to sleep with you then try to do it backwards, because I never can. I don’t want just a one night stand. But I don’t even know how to do this the right way, or if you’re even interested in that.”

“Hey,” Stephen prompted softly. He reached up with his right hand and gently cupped Tony’s jaw to raise his head so their eyes could meet again. “I’m not good at this, either.”

“I’ll give you whatever you want,” Tony said with a sad smile. “If all you want is sex, I get that, and that’s okay. I just figured I’d be honest while I had the courage.”

“I don’t want you to…do you really think that’s all I want?” Stephen asked, borderline dumbfounded.

Tony blinked. “I wouldn’t blame you.”

“It’s not. Not at all. I should have just...fuck. I’m sorry, Tony. That’s not what I’m after. Especially knowing you’re hurt, and that you feel the same way I do.”

“What? You do?”

“Yeah. Of course I do. You drive me absolutely insane most of the time. That’s why I get so mad at you when you do stupid things during battles. Because if anything were to happen to you...”

It was Stephen’s turn to drop his eyes.

“Did you happen to notice that most of the things I do that piss you off are to protect you?” Tony asked as he gently placed his hand on Stephen’s.

The taller man nodded. “That only adds to my annoyance most of the time.”

The laugh that came from Tony made Stephen look back at his deep brown eyes. He smiled to match Tony’s, relishing in the feel of his steady hand calming his own.

“So what do we do now?” Tony almost whispered.

Stephen shrugged as if Tony had asked what he wanted for dinner. “What do you want to do?”

Tony took a deep breath. “I want to give this a shot, a real shot. And I don’t think immediately sleeping together is the way to do it. I know my reputation, and that I’m not-”

“Don’t do that,” Stephen stopped him gently. “I don’t care about your reputation. Before my accident, I wasn’t any better. But that doesn’t matter now. Because I think you’re right. I want to give this a shot too. I want to keep getting to know you better. And everything else will fall into place when it’s right.”

So they took it slow. Physically, anyway. They started to spend more time together than they normally would and did things they didn’t usually do. They didn’t go on dates, necessarily, because neither of them wanted to draw attention to this just yet. But things went well. There was still bickering and arguing as much as before, but there were also dinners at Tony’s penthouse, lounging in the Sanctum’s study on Sunday afternoons, and cuddling under blankets watching movies.

Over a month in, they still hadn’t done more than kiss and let their hands wander over each other a bit. Which they were both fine with, but were also starting to get a little bit excited about the prospect of finally taking the next step. It felt right, it felt like time. As evidenced by the fact that their kissing on the couch in Tony’s living room had lead them to Tony’s bedroom for the first time since they had started seeing each other.

They were kissing slowly but thoroughly, enjoying the feel of one another as their hands traveled over the clothes separating their bodies. Stephen was mostly on top of Tony, who was tugging at him slightly to try and get more contact. The genius moved his mouth from Stephen’s lips to kiss across his jaw to his neck, earning a shudder from the man above him.

“Boss,” FRIDAY suddenly called from the ceiling.

Tony sighed against Stephen’s skin. “Is it life or death, FRI?”

“I’m not quite sure,” came the response.

Tony froze in his movements against Stephen, who propped himself up and to the side to move off of him. They looked at each other, the lust immediately starting to fade from their eyes.

“What’s going on?” Tony almost demanded.

“Harley Keener is in the elevator on his way up to the penthouse, Boss.”

“What? Is he okay?”

“His body temperature is quite low, likely due to the fact that he appears to have walked here in the pouring rain from the bus station.”

“What the fuck,” Tony breathed. He was now sitting fully upright, moving to get off the bed. “Is he hurt?”

“His vital signs are stable, although I would guess he’s rather upset,” FRIDAY reported.

“I’m sorry,” Tony muttered, turning back to look at Stephen still on the bed. “I don’t know what’s going on, I didn’t-”

“Tony,” Stephen cut in gently. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ll just stay in here, go find out what’s going on.”

The brunette nodded once, mostly to himself, before hurrying out of the room.

He found a dripping wet fifteen year old standing just inside the threshold of the penthouse.

“Harley,” Tony breathed, stopping in his tracks upon seeing his ghost white face and quivering blue lips. “What the hell is going on? What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry Mr. Stark,” Harley started before Tony had even stopped talking. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go. My dad found my phone and computer and the bank account you set up for me and he took everything and it’s been so bad I didn’t know what else to do I got scared and had to get out of there-”

“Jesus, take a breath,” Tony tried to say calmly. He crossed the rest of the way over to Harley and drew the shaking teenager into a tight hug. “It’s okay, I’m not mad. I’m sorry. I’m not mad. Don’t apologize. Just catch your breath, okay?”

Harley could only nod as he buried his face against Tony’s chest while sobs overtook his body. Tony held onto him as he cried, trying his best to warm him up against the cold rain soaked through his clothes. When the trembling only got worse, Tony reluctantly pulled back, but kept his hands on Harley’s shoulders.

“You’ve gotta get warm and into some dry clothes, kid,” he said quietly. “Is that alright?”

“Y-yeah,” Harley stammered. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what else to do.”

“It’s alright, Harley,” Tony assured. “I’m glad you came here. We can figure all that out later, okay? Right now all I care about is getting you warm. How about a hot shower? I’ll get you some clothes you can wear.”

Harley followed Tony into the guest room, leaving his wet backpack by the door. He was lead into the expansive bathroom, fully stocked. He crossed his arms over his chest and bit his lip to try and keep his tears at bay. He watched in silence as Tony turned the shower on full blast for him before turning back around.

“I’m going to go into my room and get you some clothes. I’ll leave them on the bed. Take your time and warm up, okay? Are you alright to do that?” Harley nodded slightly. “Can you tell me you’re okay, Harley? Please?”

“I’m okay,” Harley said softly. “I’ll be fine.”

Tony didn’t really believe him, but he knew the most important thing right now was for Harley to get out of those cold, wet clothes before he got really sick. So he left him alone in the guest room to get into the shower, retreating to his own room.

He had completely forgotten Stephen was even there until he saw him sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Is everything okay?” he asked hesitantly.

Tony tugged his hand through his hair. “I have no idea. I don’t think so. He’s in the shower. Kid was one step away from full blown hypothermia.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know what’s going on yet, but it sounds like he ran away from his dad.”

Stephen remembered Tony explaining to him that Harley’s mom and sister had been killed in a car accident when the snap had happened. A driver was turned to dust, and the unmanned car had collided with theirs head on. Harley’s dad had come back into the picture about a year before that, so he was left alone with him after the accident. Tony did whatever he could to help Harley. Stephen recalled Tony fondly detailing their adventure during their first meeting, and how bright the young boy had been.

Now, Stephen watched as tears filled Tony’s eyes.

“This is my fault. I should have never let him stay with that asshole. I should have checked in with him more, before it got so bad the poor kid had to trek across the country on his own to get away.”

“Hey,” Stephen said as he stood and went over to Tony. “This isn’t your fault. Whatever is going on, Harley came to you for help. So you can help him now, and that’s all that matters.” Tony’s eyes met his, almost pleading. “You’ve been there for him before, and he needs you to be there for him now. I know it’s hard, but you have to stay calm for him. He came to you because you’re strong, and he knows you’re going to help him.”

Tony nodded slowly. The sound of Stephen’s calming voice was seeping through to ease his building anxiety. “Okay. Yeah. You’re right. I gotta...I gotta get him some clothes. And some food. And then figure out what’s going on.”

“Give him time,” Stephen suggested. He could see that his talking it out was helping to calm Tony. “Don’t interrogate him. Let it be on his terms, whatever he wants to tell you.”

“Right,” Tony agreed. “Jesus, thank you, Stephen. Thank you.”

Stephen smiled reassuringly. “I’m going to head back to the Sanctum.”

Tony sighed. “I don’t want to kick you out.”

“I’m kicking myself out,” Stephen replied. “Harley doesn’t know me. He came here for you, and he needs to be able to feel safe. He won’t be able to relax with some random guy here. And you need to focus on him.”

“Thank you,” Tony repeated, voice barely above a whisper.

Stephen hugged Tony briefly, kissing his cheek before releasing him. “Call me if there’s anything I can do. Or if you get a chance later, just to let me know you guys are okay.”

“I will,” Tony promised.

He watched as Stephen disappeared through the portal before going into his closet to gather clothes for Harley. He wasn’t really sure what he would want, so he just grabbed everything he could find that was clean and would likely fit him. Tony put the bundle on the guest bed and paused, listening for any signs of distress coming from the bathroom. When all he could hear was the water from the shower, he went to the kitchen.

As soon as the last of the leftover Chinese food had been reheated, Harley emerged. His cheeks were flushed pink from the heat of the shower. His hair was rubbed mostly dry. He had chosen a pair of black sweatpants, gray long sleeved t shirt, and maroon hoodie from the pile Tony had left for him.

Harley looked even more vulnerable now in the clothes that were just slightly too big for him.

“Feeling better?” Tony asked. He received a nod in respond. “Is this okay? I can order something else if you want.”

“No, this is fine. Thank you.”

Silence fell as Harley dug into the food as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. Tony took the opportunity to really look at the teenager. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, and his face did look quite thin. The realization that maybe he hadn’t eaten in a while sunk into Tony’s stomach like a stone.

Harley ate three plates of food and drank two cans of Coke before he finally sat back in his chair at the island, shoving his hands in the pocket of the hoodie and keeping his eyes anywhere but on Tony.

“What else do you need?” Tony inquired. “What can I do?”

“I’m fine,” Harley said, his voice quiet. “Thank you.”

Tony nodded to try and convince himself that what Harley was saying was true. “Okay. Well, you know where everything is. Take whatever you need, whatever you want, it’s yours.”

Harley tried to take a deep breath, but it stuttered in his chest. His hands flew up to his eyes, digging the heels in to try and stop the tears. Tony was out of his seat and next to him in a flash, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling the boy against him.

“You’re okay, kid. You’re safe now. Whatever is wrong, I’m going to figure it out. I promise you, I’m going to keep you safe.”

Harley dropped his hands to clutch at Tony’s shirt so hard his knuckles turned white. He willed himself to get it together, to stop crying, but he couldn’t. Once he started, there was no stopping it.

So they stayed there for a long time, until Harley’s breathing started to even out. He eventually released his death grip on Tony, who took the hint to let Harley go and stepped back.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tony prompted gently.

Harley swallowed hard before nodding silently. He allowed Tony to gently pull him from his chair and steer him to the couch in the living room, where the superhero spread a blanket over him before settling back into the cushions. Harley grabbed one of the pillows and held it in his lap.

“He’s been doing drugs again,” Harley started. His voice was barely loud enough for Tony to hear him. “Drinking like always, but he’s back on the crack and meth. It makes him really angry.”

Tony managed to bite his tongue. He forced himself not to interrupt, not to ask any questions until Harley was done with whatever he wanted to say.

“I can avoid him for the most part. He’s hardly ever around. But when he found my phone, and computer, and the debit card...he lost it. Said I was holding out on him, making him do all the hard work and I was just being a free loader. He...” Harley shook his head as he trailed off. “I couldn’t call you, or anyone else. He took it all. All I had was the cash I keep on me. It was enough to get here. I didn’t go to the police, I never have, because I don’t want to end up in a foster home or something and I didn’t know what else to do.”

Tears started to slide down his pale cheeks again.

“You did the right thing coming here,” Tony said. “I should have come and got you sooner. You shouldn’t have had to be around that. I’m so sorry, Harley.

“It’s not your fault,” he replied, finally looking up at Tony. “I’m not your responsibility.”

“Yes, you are. You’re as important to me as anything else in this world. I shouldn’t have left you alone with him. I didn’t know it was that bad, but I should have.”

Harley wiped at his eyes to clear the tears away. He sniffed and tugged at the sleeve of his borrowed sweatshirt. “I didn’t want you to know,” he admitted. “I thought I could handle it, that I could just avoid him, but he just kept getting worse.”

Tony could hear the exhaustion creeping into Harley’s voice. He could see the hours of travel and probably all out fear weighing on the teenager. He wanted to talk this through, to come up with a game plan, but he didn’t want to overwhelm him. Harley was quickly withdrawing into himself. Tony was very well aware of the signs, experiencing them enough himself, so he made an executive decision.

“I think you need a break for the night, kid. Want to try and get some sleep?”

Harley sighed. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to fall asleep.”

“Well, how about we watch a movie or something in your room?” Tony said, calling it Harley’s room because he had stayed there more times than anyone else combined. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, if you want.”

“You will?”

“Of course,” Tony said, shocked that his voice didn’t break.

They made their way into the guestroom. Tony grabbed the remote from the bureau and flipped the TV on. He turned to ask Harley what he wanted to watch, but his breath caught in his throat.

Harley was tugging the sweatshirt over his head in preparation of climbing into the bed and under the blankets. As he did so, the shirt he had on underneath rode up, exposing his stomach, side, and back to Tony, who could only stare at the bruises littering the teenager’s torso.

He was able to turn away back to the TV before Harley noticed he had seen. He didn’t want to upset him any more tonight. So he took several deep breaths before looking back over his shoulder once he heard Harley settling into the bed.

“The Office?” he asked simply.

Harley nodded, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. Tony clicked it on and went to the other side of the bed, sitting on the edge and trying to keep himself calm. Harley was asleep before the first episode was even halfway over.

Tony stayed on the bed with him for over an hour to ensure he was sleeping soundly. He left the TV on, quietly instructing FRIDAY to keep the show playing while he slept and to alert him if he woke up and needed anything.

He left the room silently, shutting the door behind him. Tony went into his own room, closing his door so as not to chance disturbing Harley before pulling his phone from his pocket.

Stephen answered as Tony slid down to the floor, hugging his knees to his chest.

“Hey,” Stephen greeted. “How’s everything going?”

“He’s fucking covered in bruises,” Tony choked out through the lump in his throat.

“Oh, god,” Stephen breathed.

“He was taking his sweatshirt off and...Jesus Christ, Stephen. The son of a bitch has been beating him. I didn’t know that. I knew he was an asshole, that he was verbally abusive, but I should have known...” he trailed off as a sob forced its way out of his throat.

“Tony. This isn’t your fault,” Stephen said evenly. “You had no way of knowing.”

“Yes, I did. I know what it’s like. I should have seen the signs. I know that verbal abuse is the start of something worse. I know how abused kids act. I fucking know.”

Stephen took a deep breath to try and slow his racing mind. He knew what Tony was saying. He had known based on the little Tony had spoken about Howard that his own father had been abusive. He was trying not to let that affect his emotions at the moment so he could help talk Tony through this.

“Is Harley sleeping?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m coming back over. Is that okay?”

Tony let out a shuddering breath. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know. But I want to. Just to talk. I’ll be gone before he wakes up, if it’s okay.”

“Please.”

Stephen was coming through the portal before Tony could even hang up his phone. He knelt in front of the other man, putting his hands on Tony’s knees and giving him the best smile he could muster.

“Are you okay?”

Tony shook his head. “No. But I have to be, for him.”

Stephen nodded his agreement. “Which I know you can do. I’m so sorry, Tony. I know this isn’t easy for you. And I’ll do whatever I can to help either of you. But you can’t fix this overnight, so try to remember that, okay?”

“How do you always know what to say to me?” Tony wanted to know.

Stephen smiled. “You’re not as much of a mystery as you like to think, Stark.”

Tony breathed a wet laugh. “Well, I guess I’m okay with that then. Thank you, Doc.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't really have an update schedule in mind with everything going on - I don't want to commit to something I can't predict, unfortunately. But I'm hoping for every few days, and at least once a week.
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

Tony didn’t sleep at all that night. He didn’t even try. He spent most of it pacing around his room, cursing himself for allowing Harley to have been in such a terrible situation. When his anxiety was creating horrific scenarios in his head, he retreated to the lab, where he attempted to work away his tension. He wasn’t even half successful.

When he noticed it was finally what regular people would consider morning, he went back into his room to take a shower and put on clean clothes. He didn’t want it to be blatantly obvious to Harley that he had been up all night.

All he needed now was a nice cup of coffee. Or three. He was almost in need of making another pot when Harley finally shuffled into the kitchen after his near thirteen hour sleep. He glanced at the clock on the stove and yawned.

“Sorry I slept so late,” he mumbled.

“You needed it,” Tony said. “Hungry?”

Harley nodded immediately. “Very.”

“Pancakes, or eggs and bacon?”

“Yes.”

Tony laughed, happy to see Harley acting even the slightest bit like his normal self. He started pulling the supplies from the fridge and cabinets.

“Can I help?” Harley inquired.

“Yeah, why don’t you scramble the eggs,” Tony suggested, sliding the carton over to where Harley stood.

They made the food in relative silence, save for a comment here or there on who was better at what they were doing. Tony had been thinking to himself that they had made too much, until they started eating, and Harley ate just as much as he had last night.

Tony kept his eyes down on his own plate and didn’t say anything about it.

When they were done, Tony let Harley clear their plates and put them in the sink to soak away all the syrup. Tony started another round of coffee while Harley shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.

“Go sit down in the living room,” Tony said gently. “I’ll bring you in some coffee.”

Harley mumbled a thanks before making his way into the other room. Tony took his time making the coffee, dragging it out so he could try and think of what to do. He wanted to give Harley the time he needed to calm down and get some rest, but he also knew that they had to figure out what was going to happen next.

Tony handed over Harley’s mug to him and had barely sat down before the boy was speaking.

“I can leave today,” Harley blurted. “I didn’t mean to just bust in on you last night. I know you’re crazy busy and have way too much going on to have to worry about me and-”

“Woah woah woah,” Tony cut him off, holding up his free hand. “Slow down. No way in hell are you leaving. Not until we figure something out.”

“This isn’t fair to you,” Harley argued.

“I don’t care about me. You’re always welcome here, you know that. The only thing I care about right now is you. Nothing else is even going to come close.”

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Harley admitted quietly.

“I know,” Tony said. “That’s why you’re not leaving.”

Harley gripped his mug tightly. “What’s going to happen?”

“I don’t know,” Tony answered honestly. “But I’m going to figure it all out, okay? And we have time. School is out, so they won’t be looking for you. How long before your dad notices you’re gone?”

“I don’t know that he will,” Harley huffed. “He’ll sell my phone and computer. Withdraw all the cash. That will all last him at least...I don’t know, two weeks.”

Tony clenched his jaw in anger. There was no way a fifteen year old should be able to compute something like that.

“Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I’m not going to do anything without talking to you about what’s going on. I promise. But at some point, we’re going to have to let the police know.” Harley’s eyes went wide. “I don’t see any way around it. You’re only fifteen. But they’re not going to make you go back there if they know...if they know how bad it is.”

Harley looked at Tony for several moments. “You saw the bruises, didn’t you,” he stated more than asked. Tony swallowed hard, nodding silently. “I didn’t know how to tell you that part,” the boy said, voice quivering with emotion.

“You shouldn’t have had to,” Tony replied. “I should have known. I should have...” he trailed off as his throat thickened.

Harley stared down into his untouched coffee. “I’m going to have to go into a foster home, aren’t I?”

Tony knew the only other family Harley had was a grandmother, also in Tennessee, but she was in a nursing home suffering from dementia. The poor kid was alone.

“I don’t know how it’s going to work just yet. But I know you don’t want that, and I don’t either. So maybe we can figure out a way for you to stay here.”

Harley looked up at him. “What do you mean? Forever?”

Tony nodded slightly. “At least until you’re eighteen. Or as long as you need. Is that what you want?”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking me. I’m asking you, Harley. Do you want to stay here?”

Harley answered before he even had to think. “Yes.”

“Okay,” Tony almost sighed. “So now all we have to do is figure out how to make that happen.”

“What if we can’t?” Harley asked, panic edging into his voice. “What if they-”

“There’s a lot I don’t know right now,” Tony conceded. “But what I do know is that you are going to be okay. I’ll make you a whole new identity and buy a private island for you to live on if I have to. You’re going to be okay.”

Harley didn’t really know how to respond to that. “Thank you,” he said before finally taking a sip of his coffee.

Tony smiled. “I also know that we don’t have to figure it all out right now. If your dad isn’t looking for you just yet, we’ve got some time. So what do you want to do today?”

Harley raised his eyebrows at that. “I, uh, I don’t know,” he said with a shrug.

“I’ll start making some calls this afternoon, figure out what we need to do. But for now, it’s your pick, kid. Do you want to go back to bed? Go get some clothes and stuff? Whatever you want.”

Harley seemed to consider for a minute. “Can we just hang out here?” he asked.

Tony nodded. “Yeah, of course. If that’s what you want.”

Over the course of the next few hours, Harley dozed in and out of sleep on the couch while they watched Netflix. When Harley was awake, they talked here and there, mostly about the latest projects Tony had been working on, and Peter’s training to become part of the Avengers. Anything easy to keep their minds occupied for the time being.

At just around one o’clock, Tony was able to convince Harley to go take a nap in his room while Tony called around to try and get a handle on steps they were going to have to take. But before he did that, he selected the contact for a certain sorcerer.

Stephen answered on the first ring.

“How’s Harley?” he asked immediately.

Tony couldn’t help but smile. “He’s okay, he just went to take a nap. Poor kid is exhausted.”

Stephen hummed. “Can’t blame him. How are you?”

“Okay,” Tony said with a short sigh. “Tired too, but I’m fine.” He paused for a beat. “I didn’t mean to do this over the phone, but there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“What’s up?” Stephen asked, slight hesitation in his voice.

Tony took a breath. “I don’t really know how all of this is going to work yet, but I do know what I’m going to do. Or at least try my hardest to.” Stephen was silent, waiting for him to go on. “He can’t go back and live with his dad, that much is clear. And he doesn’t have anyone else. So I’m going to figure out a way that he gets to stay with me. Long term. Indefinitely.”

“That definitely seems to be the best course of action,” Stephen responded right away.

“Yeah, I think it is. But I know that this will probably change things. With us.” Stephen didn’t say anything, so Tony started to ramble. “I know we just started dating, and it’s been going well, and I didn’t even talk to you before I decided to do this, and we’ve been taking it slow and this is not slow at all-”

“Tony,” Stephen cut in. “I realize that your main concern right now is Harley. I couldn’t be any more fine with that. I don’t want to detract from you helping him at all.”

“Okay,” Tony breathed. “But where does that leave us?”

“I think we just keep taking things slow. Get Harley sorted out, and then we can go from there.” Stephen waited for a reply, but got none. “Unless you think more space would be better. I get if you want to just take a break, or-”

“No,” Tony said quickly. “I don’t want to break up, or anything. But I realize that I’m not in the position where I can ask you to put everything on hold for me. I don’t know how long this is going to take me to figure out, and it’s not fair to you.”

“Well, I don’t want to break up either. Not when things have been going so well, and nothing has changed the way I feel about you. If anything, I feel even more strongly because you care so much about Harley and are willing to do anything for him.”

“I am,” Tony agreed. “But I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’re not going to,” Stephen assured. “Yeah, this makes things a bit more complicated until you can get it all sorted out. But luckily I have the ability to portal into your room after Harley’s gone to sleep,” he joked.

Tony laughed lightly. “It’s not that I don’t want you to be around at all. He already knows Peter really well, and Rhodey and Happy. I want you to meet him, too.”

“I’d love to. Whenever you think he’s got his feet under him enough. But I mean it, Tony. Whatever pace we need to go at, I’m fine with. You don’t need this to be any more stressful than it already is.”

“You’re fucking incredible,” Tony observed.

“Anything I can do to help?” Stephen asked with a short laugh.

“Know any good probate lawyers?”

“A lawyer is something I would go to you for.”

“Good point.”

“Is that what you’re doing today?”

Tony sighed. “Yeah. Pepper is my first call. Well, technically second, after you. If she doesn’t know exactly what to do, she’ll know who will.”

“That sounds like a really solid plan,” Stephen said sincerely. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Okay. I’ll call you later?”

“I’ll answer.”

“You better.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos, comments, and for reading in general!
> 
> This is a shorter chapter, but sets up what's to come a bit. I'm making good progress on this story so far with all the extra time I have - I'm expecting it to be about 10 or so chapters at this point, but we'll see.
> 
> Enjoy! Hope everyone is staying healthy!

Turns out, this all wasn’t as complex as Tony thought it was going to be. They basically had two options.

“We basically have two options,” he reported to Harley after the teenager re-emerged from his nap. “You can either petition the court for emancipation, or to terminate your dad’s parental rights.”

“Okay. What’s the difference?”

“Emancipation means you’re considered an adult, and he can’t have any control or any say when it comes to you. Terminating his rights is similar, but you’re still considered a minor. So you would be able to be adopted without his permission.”

Harley nodded slowly. “So which one do you think is best?”

“I don’t think I can make that decision,” Tony answered. “You’re old enough, and you’re smart enough to decide for yourself. I don’t want to influence your choice.”

“How can I decide when I don’t understand any of this?”

“Well, I have a lawyer meeting us at the police station tomorrow to go over it all with you.”

Harley gaped. “What?”

“Pepper helped me out. The probate and family court has something called a guardian ad litem. I think that’s what she said, anyway. She’s an attorney that works for the state whose job is to advise and represent minors in situations like yours. She doesn’t work for me, she’ll be working for you, and will be able to answer every question you have.”

“The only question I have right now is what do you want me to do? Don’t just say you want me to do whatever I want to. I can’t make a decision if it’s going to be something you don’t want.”

“That is what I want. I can tell you that you are more than welcome here, in whatever capacity you want. I trust you, Harley. I wouldn’t let you make this decision if I didn’t think you were capable of it.”

“What if they don’t let me choose? What if they just take me back to Tennessee?”

“I don’t think they will,” Tony said, keeping his voice calm to alter Harley’s rising panic. “But that’s why we have to go to the police, sooner rather than later. If you just hide out here until your dad calls on his own, then we’re going to have a problem.”

“What do you mean? What kind of problem?”

Tony didn’t want Harley to worry about something that might not be an issue, but he also didn’t want to lie to him. “He could try and say I kidnapped you.”

“What?!” Harley exclaimed. “How? I came here and you had no idea. I did this on my own, so how could it be kidnapping?”

“Because you’re fifteen, and you’re not my kid. Letting you stay here for an extended period of time could be construed as me keeping you here against your will. So we have to be the ones to get out ahead of this.”

Harley shook his head almost frantically. “I can’t go back there, Mr. Stark. I can’t. He’ll kill me this time. He was mad enough to last time, but he was more concerned about spending the money on drugs instead. It’s just going to get worse.”

Tony felt tears stinging his eyes at the desperation and fear he saw on Harley’s face. He leaned forward and put a hand on Harley’s shoulder firmly.

“There is no way in hell I am ever going to let that happen,” Tony promised. When Harley went to protest, Tony continued. “I know I don’t have it all figured out just yet. But there is no outcome where I am going to let him hurt you ever again. It should have never gone this far to begin with.”

“I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. I know it’s not fair that I brought this all on you and I should have just-”

Harley stopped talking when he was pulled into a tight hug. He swallowed hard, willing the emotion that was building up to stay down. Tony’s strong arms made him feel better, made him feel safe.

“I’m going to do whatever I have to to make you understand that this isn’t your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m glad you came to me, and I’m going to do whatever I have to until this is better.” Tony let go of Harley and moved back so he could look him in the eye again. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, kid.”

Harley finally let the tears slip from his eyes down his cheeks. He wasn’t able to come up with something that would qualify as a good enough response to that, so he just smiled the best he could and nodded slightly. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before wiping at his face. Harley waited a few moments for the tightness in his throat to subside before finally speaking.

“So what’s going to happen tomorrow?”

“We’re going to go to the police station, and the lawyer, Jess, is going to meet us there. She’s going to talk to you with the police about what’s been going on back home.”

“Are you going to be with me?” Harley asked quietly.

Tony shook his head. “Not the entire time, that’s what Jess will be there for. They’re probably going to ask you to talk about some pretty tough things. And some of that will be about me. They won’t believe you’re telling the truth if I’m sitting there next to you.”

“What are they going to ask me?” Harley already felt his head spinning trying to grasp what was coming.

“I’m not sure, exactly,” Tony admitted. “But their job is to figure out what is in your best interest. All you have to do in answer everything honestly. I know that it’s not going to be easy for you to do this, and I wish I could just do it for you, but I can’t.”

“Am I going to get you in trouble? Will you have a lawyer too? What if I say something and they take it the wrong way and arrest you?”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“But you don’t know for sure.”

Tony sighed. “No. I don’t. Not for sure. But, Harley, you don’t have to worry about me, okay? This isn’t about me, this is about keeping you safe and getting this all sorted out as soon as possible.” Harley didn’t look convinced. “Besides, if they’re going to arrest me, it wouldn’t be until they talked to your dad anyway. And it’s not like I wouldn’t be able to come up with bail money.”

His attempt at a joke fell flat. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“It should. Don’t worry, I’ve spent the night in a jail cell enough times in my life that it wouldn’t even phase me.”

“How about you just don’t get arrested?” Harley deadpanned.

“Deal. Let’s go with that one.”

Harley let out an exasperated breath and rubbed his hands over his face several times. “There’s no other way, is there,” he stated more than asked.

“Not unless you want to skip town and go live on that island I mentioned before. But that would definitely get me arrested.”

“I doubt they’d ever find us.”

Tony smiled. “It definitely wouldn’t be easy.”

Harley forced his own smile. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“I do. You’ve done more for me already than my dad ever has,” Harley said softly. “And I just...I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Tony swallowed hard. “You’re never going to have to find out, kid. I’m always going to be here for you. I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the longest chapter thus far.
> 
> So, a quick note - I am actually an attorney, a prosecutor. I have a lot of experience with similar situations to the one I'm writing about here. But, I don't practice in New York, or Tennessee. And I certainly understand why books, movies and tv shows take the liberties they do in depicting things less than perfectly. The law is dense, and complicated, and not all that entertaining. So while I've done my best to keep it as realistic as I can, this is certainly not perfect. For the purposes of this story, time wise especially, I've made adjustment accordingly.
> 
> Enjoy!

Tony brought Harley to the police station first thing the next morning. Neither of them got much sleep the night before, and were running mostly on caffeine and anxiety. Harley’s leg was bouncing constantly as they sat in the lobby, waiting for the interview room to be set up.

“Everything is going to be fine,” Tony reminded the panicked teenager next to him. “This is all going to be over soon.”

“But over how? With you in handcuffs?”

Tony looked like he was actually pondering that for a second. “I was thinking more along the lines of picking Peter up on our way home, but whichever comes first.”

Harley rolled his eyes, but the smile tugging at his lips betrayed him. The thought of getting to see his friend at the end of this let him catch his breath enough to calm down.

“Harley.”

They both looked up at the young woman in a dress pants and a blazer who called out. Jess

Diaz stood in the doorway to the hall that lead back into the station. She was smiling warmly and holding a black portfolio by her side.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” she offered.

The air in the room seemed to still. Harley took a deep breath. He looked over at Tony, who smiled reassuringly. “I’ll see you soon,” the billionaire promised.

Harley nodded slightly before getting up and crossing the lobby to follow Jess back into the room they would be using. He sat down in the chair across from her and looked around him hesitantly.

“The camera isn’t on, and no one is on the other side of the glass,” Jess started. “This first part is just you and me, I promise. I’d like to take some notes, if that’s okay with you.” Harley nodded silently. “After we’ve had a chance to chat, Sargent Trainor is going to join us from there. But this part is for me to get to know you as your lawyer so I can best represent you. I work for you, not the police. Okay?”

“Okay,” Harley said softly.

“Let’s start with the basics, the easy stuff. When’s your birthday?”

“August 6th. 2004.”

“Were you born in Tennessee?”

“Yeah, Nashville. But I live in Rose Hill.”

“What grade are you in?”

“I just finished my freshman year of high school.”

“How do you like school?”

Harley shrugged. “It’s okay. My town doesn’t have the best school system, so I have to do a lot of extra stuff on my own. Mr. Stark really helps with that a lot. My school doesn’t really have classes that are all that challenging.”

“What’s your favorite subject?”

“Science. I’m trying to overload my schedule next year with as many classes as they’ll let me take.”

Jess smiled at that. “What are your parents names?”

“My dad is Jeff Keener. My mom was Maggie Daley.”

“Can you tell me a little bit about your family growing up?”

Harley chewed his lip briefly. “I had a younger sister, Lacey. She was four years younger than me. My dad left right after she was born, but I don’t really remember that. One day he just didn’t come home for dinner, and that was that. So it was just the three of us.”

Jess nodded slowly while she jotted down what Harley was saying. “When did he come back into your life?”

“A little over a year before the snap. My mom and sister were...they were in a car accident when it happened. So after that, it was just me and him.”

Jess looked up from her notepad to meet Harley’s eyes. “What’s been going on since your dad came back?”

Harley took a deep breath. “At first it was okay. My mom seemed happy. He was, fine, I guess. He wasn’t around much at first. When he was, he was mostly only interested in my mom. He didn’t really try to get to know me or Lacey, and we didn’t really want to give him a chance, but we tried for my mom.”

“How did he treat your mom?”

“He was trying to win her back, but still had a temper. She had told me once that that was always his biggest flaw, that he would fly off the handle all the time and she didn’t want him like that around us. They struggled with money, and that always made things worse. They still fought a lot, but I never saw him hit her or anything. But I don’t know for sure.”

Harley swallowed hard. He had thought about that a lot after he had lost him mom. Whether his dad had been hurting her, and he hadn’t done anything to protect her. He was almost positive that he hadn’t hurt Lacey. Even thinking about that made his stomach turn.

“What happened after the accident?”

“He seemed more upset that he lost some of his friends than he was about my mom and sister. He had been drinking a lot before it happened, and it just got worse after. It seemed like he was constantly doing drugs.”

“Do you know what drugs he uses?”

“Cocaine and meth.”

Jess hesitated for a second. “How do you know that?”

Harley looked down at his hands in his lap. “Can I get in trouble for anything I say?” he asked.

Jess shook her head immediately. “Absolutely not. I should have explained this up front, I’m sorry. As your lawyer, whatever you tell me stays between us unless you want me to share it. The only exception would be if I thought you were going to hurt yourself, or someone else. But everything else is strictly confidential.”

Harley nodded slightly. “I know because he would make me go get it for him sometimes.”

“He had you buy drugs for him?”

“He said because I was a kid I would never get in trouble if anyone caught me with it. And he owed most of the dealers in town money, so he didn’t want to go around them. When they realized who I was, they stopped selling to me."

“How many...” Jess trailed off for a second to gather her thoughts. “How many times did he have you do that?”

“I don’t know. Ten, maybe?”

“Okay. So then what would happen?”

“When he took the drugs, he would disappear. Which was fine. I could take care of myself with the money Mr. Stark was giving me. It was just when he would come back around looking for more and would get mad when I couldn’t find them for him anymore.”

“What would he do when he got mad?”

Harley kept his eyes trained on his hands. “He would hit me. A lot. I could usually get away, but sometimes I couldn’t. The last day...he found my phone, computer, all my stuff I was keeping hidden from him. He snapped. He was kneeling on my chest and hitting me over and over...” Harley sniffed and wiped at his eyes before the tears could fall.

“Did you ever tell anyone what was going on?”

“No. I was too scared that I would have to go into a foster home or something. He knew what he was doing, and would only hit me where people couldn’t see the bruises. When it got so bad that I didn’t have my phone or money or anything anymore, I knew I had to get out of there.”

Jess listened as Harley explained in more detail what had been happening between him and his dad. How he worked a job after school to make enough extra money to pay the bills on his own. How he learned to cook in order to feed himself. How he fooled everyone at school and all of his neighbors and Tony into believing he was just fine.

“Do I have to go back to Tennessee?” Harley asked once Jess was done writing everything down.

“No,” she answered confidently. “What I plan to do is have Sargent Trainor call the local police in Rose Hill and fill them in on what’s going on. We’ll ask them to contact a judge and grant an emergency restraining order against your dad. The judge can then order temporary custody to Social Services here in New York with my explanation that you’re here and okay.”

“Can I stay with Mr. Stark?”

“Is that what you want?”

Harley nodded emphatically. “That’s why I came here. He’s the only person I trust. But I don’t want him to get in trouble for any of this. He said all along we would have to come to the cops and only waited so long because I was freaking out and he wanted to make sure I was okay. He can’t get arrested because of this, he needs to be-”

“Harley,” Jess cut him off gently. “I don’t think he’s going to get in trouble at all. It’s very clear that you were in an abusive environment. You have someone here who is willing to take care of you, so you’re not going to end up in foster care unless for some reason Mr. Stark’s not a suitable placement.”

“He is,” Harley said. “He’s let me stay with him before, and he takes really good care of me.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Jess said with a smile. “I just have to do my job and work with Social Services and make sure everything is squared away. There’s a lot of paperwork involved. But I don’t see any reason why it won’t work out.”

“Okay,” Harley breathed in relief. “So what about long term?”

“That’s a bit more complicated. I’m going to be helping you every step of the way, but we’re not quite there yet. Did Mr. Stark explain any of it to you?”

“Just that the choices are emancipation or terminating my dad’s rights.”

Jess nodded. “The first step to either of those options is getting Tennessee involved and preventing your dad from being able to contact you or be anywhere near you. We’ll go over everything in detail, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with all of this legal stuff right now.”

“That’s fair.”

“Do you want to take a break?”

Harley shook his head. “No, I want to just keep going. No offense, but I want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“None taken,” Jess said with a laugh. “I’ll bring Sargent Trainor in now, if that’s okay with you.”

The Sargent was younger than Harley expected. He was tall with blonde hair, reminding Harley a little bit of Steve Rogers. He had brought in a can of soda and a couple candy bars for Harley, saying he wasn’t trying to treat him like a child, but just thought he could use a little pick me up. Jess filled him in on what Harley had told her, with the teenager answering a few additional questions along the way.

“We’ve already spoken with the police in Rose Hill,” Trainor explained. “You haven’t been reported missing yet. When exactly did you get to New York?”

“Two nights ago.”

“You’ve been gone almost three whole days, and your dad hasn’t even noticed,” Trainor said more than asked. “Obviously we’re not sending you back there.”

“Thank you,” Harley exhaled. “Thank you so much.”

“You don’t have to thank me, but you’re welcome. So now Attorney Diaz and I need to make some calls. Are you okay to wait in here?”

“Where’s Mr. Stark?” Harley asked.

“He’s being interviewed by my colleague.”

“Is he in trouble?”

“No, he’s not. We’re just trying to get all of the information we possibly can. Once he’s all set, we’ll send him in here to wait with you while we get everything sorted with the judge in Tennessee.”

“Okay,” Harley agreed.

Jess smiled as she stood up with Trainor. “We’ll just be down the hall if you need anything.”

Harley nodded as he wrapped his hands around the soda can still in front of him. He hadn’t touched the candy yet, but had drank half of his soda. Once he was alone in the room, he sat back and opened one of the candy bars, taking a few bites here and there as he waited.

Almost an hour later, the door opened and Tony entered. Harley stood from his chair, looking expectantly at the older man.

“How are you doing?” Tony asked.

“I’m fine. Are you getting arrested?”

“Not at the moment. Jess and the Sargent are still making a few calls, but it’s going well. I met with another officer and Social Services. They need to talk with you and Jess, but it’s looking like they’re going to let you stay with me until we can get the rest of this-”

He was stopped abruptly by Harley hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around the teenager and laughed the best that he could with the small amount of air left in his lungs.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Tony asked once Harley had released him.

He nodded as he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. “I was just nervous about how all of this was going to go. Talking to Jess was good...but it made me realize how much stuff I didn’t tell you yet.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“I want to tell you everything, I just didn’t want to freak you out, and I didn’t know how to say a lot of it. But I don’t want you to be blind sided, because it’s all going to come up in court, right?”

“Probably. You don’t have to tell it all again to me now. If you want to at some point, then I’m all ears. But I think you’ve done enough recounting for today, don’t you?”

Harley sighed. “I am kind of tired.”

Tony smiled. “I don’t blame you. I get it, kid, I really do. The last thing I want is for you to be burnt out already.”

“I know it’s still not over, but if they’re going to let me stay with you, the rest will be a lot easier to deal with.”

Tony was trying to figure out what to say to that when Jess and Trainor came back into the room. Harley missed most of the conversation that followed. As soon as he heard that it had all gone the way they wanted it to, and he was going home with Mr. Stark until Jess could arrange the hearings for the rest of it, he didn’t care what was being said. For the first time since losing his mom and sister, he felt like he was safe. He felt like everything really was going to be okay.

“Harley?” He looked up at Tony through the tears that had formed in his eyes. He realized they were now alone in the room again, and Tony was looking at him with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Harley answered honestly. “I’m just...I’m just so happy I can stay.”

“Me too,” Tony agreed with a smile. “Now what do you say we get out of here?”

Harley nodded immediately. “Can we really go get Peter?”

“He’s getting ready as we speak. But he doesn’t know you’re here, I wanted to surprise him.”

Harley followed Tony out of the police station with a bigger smile than he could remember having in over a year.

Twenty minutes later, Peter came bounding out of his apartment building, backpack slung over his shoulder, looking down at his phone in his hand.

“Hey, Mr. Stark, May said thanks for letting me stay over while she worked overnight again and oh my god! Harley!”

Peter almost dropped his phone as he all but ran over to where his friend was standing next to Tony’s car parked on the curb. Harley laughed as Peter basically tackled him.

“What are you doing here man?”

“Picking you up, duh.”

Peter wanted to question him further, but picked up on the slightest look in Harley’s eyes that stopped him. He decided to leave it for now and focus on being happy that he was here.

Tony didn’t try to stop his smile as he drove back to the Tower, listening to Peter and Harley banter back and forth. He could feel Peter’s energy seeping into Harley, and was so thankful for that.

They picked up lunch on their way back and ate at the Tower. Tony was trying to remember the last time he had been able to get a word in when Peter took advantage of Harley finishing his fries to follow up on his initial curiosity.

“So how long are you here?” he asked somewhat hesitantly. He could tell something was up.

Harley looked at Tony, who nodded ever so slightly. “For the foreseeable future, hopefully longer.”

Peter glanced between his friend and mentor. “What’s going on?”

“I ran away from my dad,” Harley offered. “He was...he got out of control, and I needed to get out of there. So we’re working on making it so that I can stay here instead of going back to Tennessee.”

Tony watched as Peter battled with concern for his friend, and excitement at the prospect of him living in the same city.

“Are you okay?”

Harley nodded. “I am now.”

Peter was just as good at reading the signs as Tony. He accepted that, knowing Harley would likely elaborate further later on. But for now, Peter was satisfied.

“You actually need some clothes and other stuff,” Tony chimed in.

“Yeah, good point. I didn’t bring all that much with me.”

Tony stood from his seat and started gathering the trash from the counter of the island. “Do you guys want to go to the mall and get some things?”

Harley looked at Peter, who nodded excitedly. “Yeah, that would work.”

“Alright, then why don’t you guys go ahead? I’ve got some work I need to do here. We can catch up later.”

He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and fished out his credit card. He didn’t need to ask to know that the boys would rather go shopping without him. Hanging out with Tony Stark had its perks, but he wanted to let them spend some time together and talk if Harley wanted to without him around the whole time.

Tony held the card out for Harley to take, but pulled it back when he reached out for it. “Do. Not. Lose. This.”

Harley smirked. “You have that little faith in me?”

“Do you want me to answer that?”

Harley huffed as he finally took the card from Tony. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I swear I’m going to pay you-”

“Yeah, no. You can pay me back by picking a good movie to watch tonight and getting snacks on your way home. I’ve got nothing but breakfast food here. We can go grocery shopping tomorrow, but stock up for tonight.”

Peter and Harley promptly left for the mall, already arguing over which movie they would be watching a few hours later.

Tony really did have work he needed to do. But he was a bit more concerned about checking in with a certain sorcerer.

“How did it go at the station?” Stephen asked by way of answering Tony’s call.

“Really well,” Tony replied. “Jess is fantastic. There’s an emergency restraining order against his dad, and temporary custody was given to Social Services. They agreed to place him with me until we can get the rest sorted out. There’s still a long way to go, but this was definitely a really good start.”

Stephen breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s great, Tony. That’s so great.”

“Yeah. We picked Peter up on the way back. Harley’s a totally different kid already, acting like his normal self.”

“Peter definitely has that affect on people.”

Tony hummed in agreement. “I actually sent them off to the mall so Harley could get some stuff he needs. You wouldn’t happen to be free right now, would you?”

“Miss me already, Stark?”

“You have no idea.”

The smile that spread onto Tony’s face when Stephen walked through the portal was tired, but not forced. Tony wrapped his arms around Stephen as soon as he was within reach.

“Hi,” Tony mumbled into Stephen’s shoulder.

The taller man chuckled. “Hi.” He held onto Tony tightly with his right arm while his left hand trailed up and down his spine. “Are you alright?”

Tony nodded the best he could. “Just happy to see you.”

Stephen pressed a kiss to Tony’s hairline, releasing him reluctantly when he felt the other man’s arms fall away. He smiled when Tony’s fingers gently laced through his own, holding Stephen’s fragile hand carefully.

“You’re crashing,” Stephen observed. He looked at Tony’s tired face while the brunette was staring down at their hands.

Tony swallowed hard. “I’m sorry,” he all but whispered.

“Hey,” Stephen said as he raised his free hand to softly nudge Tony’s chin to get him to look up at him. “You don’t have to apologize. You’re not doing anything wrong.”

“I feel like I am. I feel like I’m setting us up to fail, that I’m setting Harley up to fail.”

Stephen frowned. “I thought today went well?”

“It did,” Tony agreed. “But my head is doing the thing it does where it comes up with all the things that can go wrong. All the ways I can fuck this up, and I really don’t want to. I just want everything to be fine. I know that’s really selfish and probably too much to ask but...I’m just scared.”

“Come sit with me.” Stephen tugged on Tony’s hand to lead him over to the couch in the living room. They sat close together, fingers still tangled together. “You’re not going to mess anything up.”

Tony breathed a humorless laugh. “That’s kind of what I do.”

“No, it’s not. What you do is everything you can for the people you care about, no matter what the cost is to you.”

“What’s the cost going to be?” Tony asked, his brown eyes staring into Stephen’s gray ones. “I don’t want it to be you, Stephen. But I can’t let it be Harley. I can’t do that to him.”

“It doesn’t have to be either of us,” Stephen assured him. “I’m not going to put you in that position. Harley comes first, no questions asked. I know that this is a lot to deal with. The last thing I want to do is make it harder for you.”

“You’re doing the opposite, actually. I just don’t want you to have to be my therapist through this. That’s not what boyfriends are for.”

Stephen held back the smile that tugged at his lips. “It kind of is what boyfriends are for, though.”

“Does that mean that you are my boyfriend?” Tony asked, chewing his bottom lip.

“Oh my god,” Stephen exhaled.

“I know, that was really fucking lame,” Tony groaned. He turned and buried his face in the cushions.

The sorcerer laughed. “No, it wasn’t. It was the most adorable god damn thing I’ve ever heard.” Tony murmured something unintelligible into the back of the couch in response. “What was that?” Stephen inquired.

“I’m not adorable,” Tony huffed, sitting up again.

“Oh, yes, you really are,” Stephen argued.

“Nope. I’m exhausted and freaking out and scared and sad and worried and-”

“And doing really fucking great,” Stephen said, cutting Tony off by pulling him into a hug. “You’re doing great, Tony. Everything is going to be fine.”

Tony let out a shaky breath. “You’re really okay with this?”

“Absolutely,” Stephen replied immediately. “I’m on board with whatever you need.”

The engineer pulled back so he could look Stephen in the eye. “Why?” he asked simply.

“Because you’re worth it,” Stephen responded, as if the answer were obvious. “Being with you is worth whatever small sacrifices we have to make.”

“I’m just scared I’m going to let you both down,” Tony admitted quietly. “That I can’t be what either of you need me to be.”

“We just need you to be you. You don’t have to do anything special, you already are.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “That was incredibly tacky.”

Stephen laughed. “I know. But it’s also true, so.”

Their smiles remained as they came together, their lips meeting for what felt like the first time in forever. Tony sighed at the feeling, his hand finding the back of Stephen’s neck and drawing him in deeper.

“I really like you, wizard,” Tony breathed when they broke apart. He nudged his nose across Stephen’s cheek, nipping lightly at his jaw as he went. “Like, kind of a lot. Just so you know.”

“I’m rather fond of you as well,” Stephen responded. His voice was low and deep, sending a shiver down Tony’s back. “All around. I’m a big fan.”

Tony really wanted to reply in kind to that, but felt his energy leaving his body steadily. He hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep since Harley arrived, and it was catching up to him.

Stephen felt the slightest tremble in the fingers still pressed to the back of his neck. He could see Tony struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Could we rest for a bit?” Stephen asked, already gently pulling Tony towards him as he moved to lay back on the couch. “I’m kind of tired.”

The billionaire nodded slightly. He dropped his hand from Stephen’s neck and looped his arm around his back, going more than willingly forward against him. He settled against Stephen on his right side, between him and the back of the couch, his left arm draped across the taller man’s waist. Stephen’s arm was securely around Tony’s shoulders, his chin tucked on the top of Tony’s head.

“Yeah,” Tony managed around a yawn. “If that’s what you want.”

Stephen smiled. He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over them. Well, mostly over Tony, but that was all he really cared about. Tony was acting as a good enough blanket for him, anyway. He took a deep breath and felt Tony mimic his motion, releasing it in an almost sigh.

“I miss you,” Tony murmured into Stephen’s chest. “Thank you for coming here.”

The sorcerer pressed a kiss to Tony’s soft hair. “I miss you too, Tony,” he whispered.

Within minutes, Tony’s breathing evened out as he slipped off to sleep. Stephen gently ran his fingers through his soft hair to keep him calm. He himself dozed in and out of slumber, but for the most part, he remained awake, relishing in the warmth of Tony’s body and the feel of his chest rising and falling against his side.

Some time later, they were roused by FRIDAY’s quiet call from the ceiling above them.

“Boss,” she chimed softly.

Tony’s waking breath came as a sigh into Stephen. “Yeah?” he mumbled.

“Peter and Harley just entered the lobby of the Tower. They will be getting on the elevator to head back upstairs in a moment.”

Stephen tried to fight his smile as Tony groaned. “Thanks, FRI.” He tightened his grip on Stephen’s waist and appeared to try and melt into the man he was laying on. “I don’t want to get up.”

“It’s going to be very difficult for me to portal away if you don’t,” Stephen pointed out.

Tony picked up his head so he could look at Stephen. “You don’t have to.”

“It’s okay, I know-”

“You don’t have to run out of here, Stephen.” Tony sat up slowly, stifling a yawn as he did so. He propped himself up the best he could. “Yeah, your first introduction to Harley shouldn’t be us cuddling on the couch, I guess. But Peter knows you and trusts you, and Harley trusts Peter. You can stay for a bit, just to meet him.”

Stephen searched Tony’s eyes carefully. “Are you sure?”

Tony smiled. He leaned down and kissed Stephen sweetly. “I’m positive. He’ll be the happiest he possibly can be after spending a few hours with Peter. He’s my priority, but I don’t think I need to hide you from him.”

The sorcerer watched as Tony pushed himself the rest of the way up and swung his legs over his own. Tony yawned as he stretched, tossed the blanket back over the couch and tugged his fingers through his hair.

“Coffee?” he asked Stephen, who just stared at him. After a moment, Tony smiled again. “Right. Tea. Coming right up.”

The sound of two teenage boys entering the penthouse followed Tony standing and making his way to the kitchen. Stephen swallowed as he sat up quickly, tugging at his shirt and pants as he stood to ensure it didn’t look like he had just taken a nap with Tony on his couch.

Turns out, there was no need to worry. The boys were so energetic that they probably wouldn’t have noticed if Tony and Stephen had stayed laying together under the blanket.

“Harley,” Tony started, getting his attention as Stephen came into the kitchen. “This is Stephen Strange. Doctor Strange. He’s a friend.”

“Oh man, you’re the wizard,” Harley breathed. “I didn’t know you guys were friends.”

Stephen felt a blush burst onto his face, but Harley was turning to Tony as he replied.

“I’m friends with everyone, kid,” Tony said while he handed Stephen a mug of tea before taking a sip o of his own coffee.

Harley rolled his eyes. “I think there are a few people who would disagree with that.”

“Just a few?” Peter chimed in.

Tony shook his head dramatically. “Was disrespect on sale at the mall? Jesus.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Harley said to Stephen, extending his hand to the sorcerer.

Stephen shook the best he could. Harley somehow seemed to know to be careful and barely applied any pressure. The teenager looked at the superhero in awe despite the fact that he was in normal clothes and not his usual robes.

“What were you guys working on?” Peter asked.

Before it became obvious that Tony was searching for an answer to that question, Stephen came to the rescue.

“Nothing really, I just came by to check in after being at Kamar-Taj the last couple days. I figured I’d drag Tony out of the lab for an hour or so.”

“Are you an Avenger now?” Harley asked, much to Tony’s two fold delight at getting the attention off why Stephen was here and showing interest in the sorcerer in general.

“I am not,” Stephen answered. “We have a loose cooperation agreement, I guess you could call it. But I deal mostly with Tony.”

“Because I’m the only one willing to put up with him,” Tony added.

Stephen shrugged. “He’s not wrong.”

“I’m never wrong,” Tony said with a smirk. “What did you guys get?”

The boys started to take out the snacks they bought at the store. “Popcorn, soda, ice cream, pizza rolls, mozzarella sticks,” Harley listed.

“I told you we’d go to the store tomorrow and just to get stuff for tonight.”

Harley and Peter looked at each other, then back at Tony. “This is just for tonight,” they answered in unison.

Stephen laughed. “Looks like you guys did a good job.”

“Don’t encourage them,” Tony pleaded.

“We don’t need any encouragement,” Harley said, “but we appreciate it, Doctor Strange.”

Tony’s eyes met Stephen’s as he smiled. He reluctantly took his eyes away from Stephen’s to turn back to Harley. “Did you get everything else you needed?”

Harley nodded. “Yeah, I got some clothes and a toothbrush and stuff like that. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want you to just be fine, I want-”

“I know, I know,” Harley cut him off. “You want me to be comfortable. I am. I have enough, I promise. And when you don’t believe me in a couple weeks, I’ll go get more stuff.”

Tony tried to give him an unimpressed look, but couldn’t pull it off with how genuinely happy Harley was at the moment. “Fine. But we’re going to be responsible and get some healthy food at the store tomorrow.”

“Like what?” Harley asked, scrunching his nose at the notion.

“I have no idea,” Tony admitted. “Doc? Any suggestions?”

“Really? You don’t know how to buy food?” Stephen asked.

“Coffee and pancakes are really more my forte. And take out. Other than that, I’d probably just let the kid buy whatever he wanted.”

“Don’t worry Doctor Strange, I’ll go with them and make sure they get some good stuff,” Peter assured.

Stephen looked at the junk food littered across the counter top. Before he could comment, Harley laughed. “Maybe you should just come with us too so that we have a supervisor.”

Tony glanced over at Stephen, who was looking at him with uncertainty. “How about it, Doc? You free tomorrow to take three children grocery shopping? And then probably help us cook it?”

Stephen shrugged as casually as he could manage. Why was the thought of spending the day and having dinner with them making him so nervous?

“I’ve got nothing planned for tomorrow,” came his answer.

“Awesome!” Peter declared.

“Just keep in mind I’m allergic to vegetables,” Harley said.

Stephen smiled. “Duly noted.”

While Harley went to deposit the rest of the bags from the mall in his room, Peter started perusing a take out menu for dinner options after conceding that pizza rolls did not in fact count as a meal.

“Doctor Strange, are you staying for dinner and the movie?” Peter asked, not taking his eyes off the list of food in front of him.

“I’m afraid I can’t,” Stephen replied, looking at Tony. “But I’ll definitely catch up with you guys tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, trying not to let it sound like a sigh. “I’ll give you a call.” He chewed his lip for a second, glancing at Peter to make sure he was still distracted. “Oh, let me show you that new, uh, design quick before you leave.”

Stephen raised an eyebrow, effectively conveying to Tony how lame that had been, but the teenager across from them was oblivious. So he followed Tony into the lab, laughing softly as soon as the door was closed behind them.

“You’re lucky Peter is highly food motivated and wasn’t paying any actual attention to us,” he observed.

Tony just smiled. “I don’t care. I didn’t want to let you go without saying a real goodbye.” Their lips brushed together softly at first before sealing together for a proper kiss. “Thank you for coming over, and even more for staying to meet Harley,” Tony whispered.

“I’m happy you wanted me to,” Stephen replied before kissing Tony again. He shuddered slightly at the feel of the genius’s calloused hand slipping under his shirt so his thumb could brush against the soft skin hidden underneath.

“You could stay, if you wanted to.”

“I know. But we have plenty of time for movie nights. You should have this time with Harley, with the two of them, just for now.”

Tony’s nod turned into a nuzzle against Stephen’s neck as he hugged him tightly. “Did I mention how much I like you?”

Stephen laughed. “You did.” He pressed a kissed to Tony’s hairline. “I believe I followed up with the fact that the feeling was quite mutual.”

Tony stepped back, smiling up at the taller man. “Lucky me.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Okay, so we’re in agreement. We will all eat vegetables, so long as they are doused in teriyaki sauce and mixed with plenty of chicken and noodles.”

Stephen did his very best to hide his fond smile, but was only about half successful. “Yes, Tony, that would be exactly what stir fry is.”

Tony nodded thoughtfully as he looked down at their cart of groceries. Broccoli, carrots, chicken breast, pea pods, water chestnuts, and plenty of noodles and sauce made up the contents. Along with additional emergency snack food and various drinks. Harley and Peter also nodded their approval.

Back at the Tower, Stephen was distracted by the teenagers asking him rapid fire questions about his powers and duties at Kamar-Taj. He was in the middle of explaining why he can’t magic all of their homework done for them when he noticed Tony out of the corner of his eye.

The billionaire was prepping the food as if he had done this a thousand times. At first he had just been washing everything, but now he was dicing the chicken and vegetables, getting ready to mix them in with the mostly cooked noodles and adding sauce as he went. When he reached for the broccoli, he looked up and met Stephen’s eyes, smiling and winking at the other man smoothly before getting back to making the food.

Everything was finished and being dished out onto plates before Harley and Peter even realized Tony had been cooking.

Peter looked at the food as if Tony were serving him live octopus. “Wait. I thought you didn’t know how to cook anything other than pancakes?”

“Who said that?” Tony asked.

“Uh, you did,” Harley chimed in. “Wasn’t that the whole point? That we needed supervision?”

“Doc did supervise us into buying the right food.” Tony laughed at the looks he was getting. “Give me some credit, would ya? My mom was born in Italy and taught me a few things before she...” he shook his head slowly. “And Jarvis, our butler, was a fantastic cook. He would only let me go into the workshop after I helped him in the kitchen. Stir fry was one of his favorites.”

It took all of Stephen’s will power not to cross the kitchen and kiss the bright smile that was on Tony’s face from recalling the memories of his mother and Jarvis. Stephen managed to stay where he was long enough for the feeling to pass (for the most part) before going over to help Tony pass out the plates of food.

“So which movie did you guys end up watching last night?” Stephen asked as they began to eat.

“Well, we watched three,” Harley said, motioning with his fork between him and Peter. “But Mr. Stark fell asleep halfway through the second one.”

“I was trying to set a good example for the two of you,” Tony muttered. “Glad my sacrifice was appreciated.”

Harley rolled his eyes at Tony. “We watched Shutter Island, Seven, and The Departed,” he said, answering Stephen’s questions.

“How do you fall asleep during Seven?” Stephen inquired.

Tony narrowed his eyes. “Obviously I was tired. It’s not like I had a chance to take a nap or anything yesterday.”

“Well, you really should take an afternoon nap whenever you can. Might keep you from being so fussy all the time,” Stephen replied without missing a beat.

“Oh, I can show you fussy, Merlin,” Tony shot back over the laughter of Peter and Harley.

“This is really good, Mr. Stark,” Peter managed around another forkful of food.

“Thank you. At least someone appreciates me.”

“Be more dramatic. You can’t,” Harley teased.

Before Tony could reply, Stephen beat him to it. “Don’t challenge him Harley, I don’t think any of us want that.”

“You definitely don’t,” Tony agreed.

“Are you the most dramatic Avenger?” Peter wondered out loud.

Tony scoffed. “No way.”

“Then who is?”

“I guess it’s an all way tie for first,” Tony admitted after thinking for a second. “I was going to say Cap, but we kind of all have our own dramatic tendencies, so.” He pointed his fork at Stephen. “That’s just another reason you would make a great Avenger.”

“How am I dramatic?” the sorcerer wanted to know.

“ _Hitherto undreamt of_ ,” Tony immediately quoted with a smirk.

Stephen sighed. “Fine,” he conceded defeat. “But there’s no way in hell I’m as dramatic as you or Rogers.”

“Yeah, I’ll give you that,” Tony agreed with a smile. “It’s fine that you’re not on my level.”

Before Stephen could try to argue that point, Tony stood to begin clearing everyone’s empty plates. While he was bringing them over to the sink, the boys followed Stephen’s lead in wrapping up the leftover food and putting it away in the fridge. Tony was wiping his hands on his jeans when his phone started to vibrate in his pocket, prompting him to retrieve it.

His eyes met Harley’s, who raised an eyebrow. “It’s Jess,” Tony reported. He extended the phone out to Harley.

“Hello?” he answered after a brief pause. “Yeah, this is Harley. Can I put you on speakerphone with Mr. Stark? Okay, hang on a second.” Harley activated the speaker and put the phone down on the counter between him and Tony. “Go ahead, Ms. Diaz.”

“First of all, please call me Jess,” the attorney said with a laugh on the other end of the phone. “I’m sorry to be calling so late in the day, but I just wanted to keep you updated on what’s been going on.”

“You can call anytime,” Harley answered. “What’s up?”

Stephen looked over at Peter to try and get his attention and pull him from the room to give Harley and Tony privacy, but the teenager was looking down at the phone as intently as Harley and Tony were. He sighed to himself, knowing that everything Jess was about to explain would be relayed to the two of them shortly afterwards anyway. But Stephen couldn’t help but feel out of place, so he retreated into the living room and took a seat on the couch for the time being.

“The Rose Hill police were able to locate your dad to serve him with the restraining order,” Jess explained. “He was...in the middle of a pretty serious drug binge.”

“Was he arrested?” Harley found himself asking.

“No, he didn’t have any drugs left on him because he had taken all of them. They did put him into protective custody until he was sober enough to be read the order and explained what’s going on. It didn’t go over very well.”

Tony looked up at Harley, whose face had gone very pale.

“So the police are keeping an eye on him,” Jess added. “They’re having an officer keep tabs on him until this is over so that he doesn’t try and track you down. He doesn’t know where you are, but it would probably only be a matter of time before he figured it out.”

“Yeah,” Harley exhaled. “He knows about Mr. Stark because of the bank account and my phone and stuff.”

“That’s actually where I have some good news,” Jess said. “While the account was drained, he police recovered your phone and computer. They’re going to hang on to them for now, because it’s technically evidence, but once this is all over you’ll be able to get them back.”

“Thank you, that’s great. So what do we do now?”

Jess paused for a beat. “I know that this is going to be very tough for you, but you’re going to have to go back to Tennessee for the probate hearings. The judge there can award full custody to the State of New York, and we can then work with a permanent placement with Mr. Stark. But it has to be done through Tennessee, and the authorities there are going to want to press charges against your father.”

“Can I say no? To pressing charges?” Harley asked, his voice starting to waver.

“They’ll take your input into consideration. But, Harley, as your lawyer, I need to tell you that criminal charges for abuse and neglect against your father would go a long way in preventing him from maintaining his parental rights. He needs to be held accountable for what he’s done.”

“I know. I just want this to be over as quickly as possible.”

“I understand that, and that’s my top priority, I promise.”

“So what do we do now?”

“The hearing is scheduled for three weeks from now,” Jess reported. “June 30th. That was the fastest available date while still allowing for your dad to hire an attorney if he wishes.”

“Is this going to be like a trial or something?”

Tony could hear the panic starting to flood Harley’s voice. He reached over and gripped the teenager’s shoulder firmly, getting the young man to look at him. Tony gave him the most reassuring smile he could manage.

“Not really. If your dad hires an attorney, I’ll deal mostly with them to figure out what he wants to see happen. If not, then I’ll have to go through Social Services in Tennessee who will be talking with your dad. If we can’t come to an agreement, then the judge will hear the case and make the determination. In the meantime, Sargent Trainor is forwarding all the reports to Rose Hill PD so they can get the ball rolling on their own investigation. Your dad will be interviewed and likely appointed a criminal attorney for any charges that may be filed against him.”

“But I can stay here until then?”

“Yes. I’m going to spend the next couple days talking to everyone in Tennessee, making sure we’re all on the same page. Next week I think we should meet to go over everything so you’ll know what to expect, and then we’ll have to head to Tennessee for the hearing.”

“You’re coming too, right?”

“Absolutely. I’m representing you every step of the way, Harley.”

The teenager breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, great. Thank you so much.”

“Do you have any questions for me?” Jess asked.

“No, not at the moment.”

“Well, if you do, please give me a call anytime, okay? And I’ll keep you in the loop with any updates I have.”

“Okay, sounds good. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Harley. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

Harley clicked the phone off and let out a deep breath as Tony dropped his hand from his shoulder.

“Well, that’s all good news,” Tony finally said.

“Yeah,” Harley said with a slight nod. “I just thought it was going to take longer, I guess. Three weeks sounds really soon.”

“But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Tony asked.

“It’s a good thing if it goes the way we want it to,” Harley muttered. “Otherwise it’s just three weeks until I have to go back to-”

“You’re not going back to living with him,” Tony interjected. “I can’t promise that you’re going to get to stay here, but I can promise that you will never have to go back to that house with that man. I meant it when I said I’d make a new identity and buy you a private island.”

“It’s true,” FRIDAY chimed in from the ceiling. “Boss spent several hours researching islands and profiles for a new identity for you.”

Harley let out a genuine laugh. “Thanks, FRIDAY,” he said, smiling up at the ceiling. “That’s a pretty good backup plan.” He turned to Peter, whose nervous energy was almost palpable. “You’ll come visit, right?”

Peter immediately nodded and smiled. “Yeah, of course. And I’ll come to Tennessee with you too, if that’s allowed. You know, for support, and whatever.”

“Of course you’re coming. Do you think I’d want to spend all that time traveling down there with him by myself?” Harley asked, jerking his head in Tony’s direction.

“Fair point,” Peter agreed.

“Fair – you two better watch it,” Tony warned, with absolutely no heat behind his words.

The sound of laughter and the clanking of dishes being washed drifted to Stephen in the living room. He had been able to make out most of Harley’s end of the conversation, even though he hadn’t been trying to eavesdrop. Stephen was contemplating if he should go back in or just leave when Tony came around the corner.

“There you are,” he said softly.

Stephen stood from the couch with a smile. “Here I am.”

“Sorry, Jess wanted to-”

“Tony,” Stephen stopped him gently. “I know. Don’t apologize. I just didn’t want to hover over the conversation.”

The brunette took a few more steps towards Stephen, who did the same, but they came to a stop a few feet from one another. Tony looked into Stephen’s eyes for a few moments before smiling sheepishly.

“Today went pretty well, right?” Tony asked softly.

Stephen laughed lightly at Tony’s shyness. “Yeah, it did. Thank you for including me.”

The persistent noise coming from the kitchen stopped Tony from reaching out for Stephen. Peter and Harley could come bursting into the living room at any second, and Tony still wanted to try to do this right.

“You have to go, don’t you,” Tony stated more than asked.

Stephen sighed. “I need to oversee training at Kamar-Taj for the next couple days.” Tony nodded. “I was going to go in the morning, but I should probably head there now.”

“Okay. Maybe you can come over for dinner again when you’re back?”

The taller man smiled. “Yeah, I think I can swing that.”

An hour or so later, after Stephen had said goodbye to Peter and Harley, Tony found himself on the couch between the teenagers as they flipped through Netflix looking for a movie to watch. Tony was only half listening to them. He was mostly lost in his own thoughts, replaying the day over in his mind, trying to hide his smile. He hoped that in time it would become their normal every day life, and not something they had to try and force.

All Tony wanted for Harley, and himself, was just a bit of normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading and leaving comments and kudos!
> 
> The angst and drama is coming, in more ways than one, so stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another longer chapter.
> 
> I'm making good progress on this story. It's going to be longer than the 10 chapters I initially thought. Once I have it fully written, I should be able to update more frequently.
> 
> Again, the feedback is always appreciated! Hope you're all safe and healthy and staying relatively sane!

They got that little bit of normal over the course of the next three weeks.

Peter and Harley spent almost every day together, with Ned and MJ mixed in here and there for good measure. Tony was so happy to see Harley having a relatively normal summer, albeit with the occasional meeting with Jess and Social Services. But going over what was going to happen was helping to calm Harley’s nerves about having to inevitably return to Tennessee and see his dad again.

Slowly but surely, Stephen began to spend more time at the Tower. It was mostly for lunch or dinner, a couple hours at a time, but that had evolved into staying for a movie a couple nights. Harley took to him really well, and seemed to like having people around to help keep his mind off of the impending hearing.

Which was now only three days away.

Tony was doing his best to keep Harley occupied, but it was proving to be more difficult by the hour.

He had to step out onto the balcony to take a call from Pepper while Stephen and Harley waited in the kitchen for Peter to get there for dinner.

Before an awkward silence could settle at Stephen’s realization that this was the first time he had been left alone with Harley, the teenager spoke.

“Are you coming to Tennessee with us?”

Stephen had to take a second before he could respond. “Um, no, I don’t think so,” he replied lamely.

“Well, I think you should.”

Stephen blinked. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Harley said with a nod. “I’m worried about Mr. Stark, and you’re obviously close with him.” Stephen felt his cheeks heat up, but luckily Harley didn’t seem to notice that. “I just...he’s going to be paying attention to me, and someone needs to pay attention to him. Does that make sense?”

Stephen smiled. “Yeah, it does. But I don’t want to intrude on something that’s going to be difficult for you. I know we don’t know each other that well, and I know I can speak for Tony when I say that your comfort is the only thing that matters.”

“I know, which is why I want you around.” Stephen frowned at that. “Peter told me about Titan,” Harley explained. “He told me that you and Mr. Stark argued a lot at first, but that you guys had each other’s backs the whole time. And then after they figured out how to bring you all back, it was really you two who beat Thanos together.”

“This is different, Harley.”

“Yeah, I know that, but not entirely. Mr. Stark is there to help me, right? But he needs someone there to help him.”

As if on cue, Tony came back into the kitchen, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

“Can Doctor Strange come to Tennessee with us?”

The billionaire stopped in his tracks. “Um, yeah, sure? If he wants to?”

“I don’t think it’s that he doesn’t want to,” Harley said, “it just seems that he doesn’t want to impose.”

“Are you going to talk about me as if I’m not in the room the whole time?” Stephen asked.

Harley smirked. “Only until it gets you to join in on the conversation.”

“What’s going on, Harley?” Tony inquired.

“I want Doctor Strange to come to Tennessee with us.”

“Okay. No offense to Doc, but why?”

It appeared as though Harley was contemplating coming up with another reason, but the opted to just go with the truth. “Because I think it would be good for you.”

Tony looked at Stephen, who shrugged slightly, before looking back at Harley. “What? This isn’t about me.”

“It kind of is about you. Remember the Mandarin attack?” Harley received an unimpressed look in response to that. “How many panic attacks did I give you during that?”

Tony sighed. “I don’t know, five at least. But this is different. I’m way more under control than I was back then, and this doesn’t involve a terrorist using people as bombs.”

“I just think the more the merrier, don’t you? It’s a long flight, and Peter and I will get on your nerves in no time.”

“The flight is less than three hours,” Tony argued. Before he could go on, Stephen cut in.

“Harley, why don’t you give us a minute?” the sorcerer suggested.

The teenager wanted to protest, but thought better of it. “Okay,” he relented dramatically before taking his leave from the kitchen to head to his room for the time being.

Once he heard the door clicked closed, Tony sat at the island across from Stephen.

“I didn’t bring it up,” Stephen defended before Tony even had a chance to say anything.

“No, I know that. I want you to come. I just don’t know what’s going to happen. Which makes me want you there even more so that I won’t freak out and worry Harley. I just...god, I don’t know.”

“I wish I had the answer, Tony,” Stephen sighed. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

Tony chewed his lip tentatively in that way he had. “Do you think we should just tell him about us?”

“I don’t know, I really don’t. I know that this has been a hard time for him, and it’s probably only going to get harder. You know him better than I do, obviously. What do you think?”

“I think I’m terrible at this and I’m going to fuck up everyone’s lives,” Tony grumbled. Before Stephen could yell at him for that comment, he pressed on. “I also think the worst thing I could do would be to drag this out and have him find out some other way. He deserves to know the truth if he’s going to be living with me, right?”

“That’s a fair point,” Stephen agreed. He watched as panic seemed to flash across Tony’s face. “Are you worried that knowing is going to make him change his mind?” he asked hesitantly.

“No,” Tony replied immediately. “Well, not because we’re dating on its own, but because he doesn’t want to get in the way of my life.”

Stephen nodded slightly. “Okay, well, I guess it comes down to what he’d be more upset about: thinking he was getting in the way, which he of course isn’t, or finding out when this is all over that we’ve been dating this whole time.” He swallowed hard upon thinking of a third option. “Unless we just, uh, press pause on this for a bit,” he said softly, motioning between him and Tony with a shaking hand.

“I can’t do that,” Tony all but whispered. “I know it’s selfish. But at this point, I can’t not talk to you, or see you. That’s the only way to really press pause, and I can’t do that. But I also can’t lie to him. He doesn’t have anyone else he can trust. I can’t mess that up.”

“Then I think you should tell him, Tony.”

“Yeah,” Tony exhaled his agreement. He dropped his eyes from Stephen’s as he got lost in his own thoughts.

“Tell you what. I’ll intercept Peter and hang out with him for a while to give you a chance to talk to Harley.”

“Okay,” Tony said, letting his eyes find Stephen’s again. “Thank you.”

Stephen smiled warmly. He stood and went around the island to Tony. The shorter man leaned against his chest long enough for Stephen to press a kiss to his forehead and run his trembling fingers briefly through his hair.

As quickly as the embrace began, it was over, and Stephen was gone. Tony took a minute to gather his thoughts and take a few deep breaths before pulling himself from his chair.

The soft knock to Harley’s door earned him a laugh. “It’s your house, man, just come in.”

Tony smiled as he slowly opened the door. Harley was stretched out on his stomach on his bed, flipping through a tech magazine. He sat up when Tony walked in, expecting to be told to come back into the kitchen. But instead, Tony crossed the room and sat on the opposite edge of the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Harley asked upon noting the change in Tony’s demeanor.

“Nothing,” the older man replied. “I just...there’s something I need to tell you.” Harley’s face fell. “It’s not bad,” Tony quickly added. “It’s not about your dad, or anything to do with that.”

“Just tell me,” Harley all but pleaded.

“Stephen and I were talking about him coming to Tennessee,” Tony began. “And the only reason we were hesitant about it is because we haven’t been honest with you. Well, scratch that. I haven’t been honest with you.”

Harley frowned. “About what?”

“Stephen.”

“What about him?”

Tony tugged his hand through his hair. “He’s not just a friend. About a month before you got here, we started...we started dating.”

“You’re dating Doctor Strange?” Harley gaped.

Tony nodded. “Yeah.”

“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

“Because I didn’t want to overwhelm you. And it was really new with us, it still is, we’ve just been taking it slow.”

“Because of me?”

Tony shook his head slightly. “Not entirely. I mean, yeah, we hung out a lot less recently, but we’ve both been on the same page. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to feel like you were doing anything wrong.”

“I don’t want to take over your life,” Harley said. “This isn’t fair to you, I don’t want-”

“You’re not taking over anything,” Tony cut in. “But you’re my priority. Stephen knows that, he understands that. And things with us are still going well. I wanted you to get settled and all squared away first, but I don’t want to keep this from you. You deserve to know. And if you’re not comfortable with it, him and I can take a few more steps back and-”

It was Harley’s turn to interrupt. “No. I don’t want you to do that. I want you to be able to live your life and not change anything because of me.”

“That’s not how this works,” Tony countered. “I am going to change things for you because that’s what you need, and you’re the most important thing to me. Stephen...he’s great. And things with us are great. But you trump him. No questions asked.”

Harley was quiet for a few minutes before shaking his head as if it would clear his confusion. “So, since I’ve been here, you guys have been pretending to be just friends for my benefit?” Tony nodded lamely. “Why did you think you had to do that?”

Tony wanted to look away from Harley, but the teenager’s intense blue eyes managed to hold his own in place. “Because I...” he faltered, not entirely sure he could even explain it. “I didn’t think I could really make it work with him,” Tony blurted. Harley just stared. “Even before you got here, I was convinced I was going to fuck it up. Because that’s just what I do. I knew that if I tried to do both at the same time, I wouldn’t be able to. And I didn’t want to hurt him, I don’t want to hurt him, and I can’t hurt you, and I just...”

The tightness in his chest cut off his ability to speak, but a deep breath made it fade as quickly as it had come. Tony leaned back against the headboard behind him and let his head rest against it while he focused on his breathing. Harley watched intently. His initial tension at seeing Tony border on a panic attack began to fade once he realized the older man had it under control. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he didn’t say anything.

“I’m going to fuck up,” Tony said, looking up at the ceiling instead of at Harley. “Probably a lot. I have no idea how to do any of this. I’ve never been good at it, at relationships, or people in general. But I just need you to know...” Tony shifted and looked over at Harley. “I need you to know that I’m trying. Anything I do, even if it pisses you off or you don’t understand, it’s for you. I know I’m not going to do most, if any, of this right. But the one thing I can do right is be honest with you, about everything. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away about Stephen. I was just trying to do the right thing.”

Seemingly all of the air in the room was stilled under the weight of Tony’s words. Harley felt stuck, and could tell that Tony felt the same. The very last thing Harley had ever wanted was to cause any complications for Tony. But he had been left without any other choice, and knew deep down that the superhero wouldn’t have ever wanted Harley to stay in the situation he had been in.

“I’m not mad at you,” Harley finally managed to articulate. “I wish you hadn’t felt like you needed to put anything on hold for me, but I understand why you did. So...can you just promise me something?”

Tony cocked his head slightly. “Yeah. Anything.”

“Don’t choose between him and me,” Harley said. “You don’t have to. If you need to spend time alone with him, or whatever, just tell me. I’m fifteen. I’ll behave, I promise. You don’t have to make every aspect of your life about me at all times.”

Tony smiled immediately. “Like hell you’ll behave.”

Harley rolled his eyes, but smiled as well. “I’m serious. This isn’t going to work if you’re not putting the time into it.”

“Wait,” Tony said, eyebrows coming together. “What isn’t going to work?”

“You and Doctor Strange.”

“That’s not something you have to worry about,” Tony sighed. “We’re fine, everything is-”

“Everything has been put on hold because of me,” Harley interjected. “You literally just said you were afraid you were going to mess it up, that you didn’t think you could make it work with him. But you want to, right?”

“Yeah, of course I do.”

“Then do it right.”

Tony breathed a laugh. “Are you giving me relationship advice?”

“Yes. Because you very clearly need it.”

“Well, you’re not wrong there.”

“So, is he going to come to Tennessee with us?”

“We, uh, actually didn’t get that far,” Tony realized. “When we were talking about it, the conversation shifted to whether or not I should tell you about us. Which lead me here. So, I’m not sure where we’re at with that.”

Harley gave him an unimpressed look. “You had one job.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You know well enough by now that I tend to get distracted. We’ll figure it out when he comes back with Peter.”

Harley nodded. “How long has Peter known about you guys?”

Tony’s face fell. “He doesn’t,” he sighed. “No one knows about us. We wanted it that way at first, even before you were staying here, because we didn’t want to rush into anything.”

“You’ve been dating for almost two months, right?” Harley inquired.

Tony considered for a second. “Yeah.”

“But you’re in the exact same place you were when you started?”

“I told you, we were-”

“Yeah, I know, taking it slow,” Harley huffed. “But you can’t do that forever.”

“We’re not planning on doing it forever.”

“Then what’s your plan?”

“I don’t have one, yet, not about that,” Tony conceded. Before Harley could continue to interrogate him, he went on. “But I need you to just trust me, okay? We know what we’re doing. We’re happy. It’s better this way, for a lot of reasons.”

Harley didn’t look like he was buying it, but sighed his defeat anyway. “Fine. But I’m not going to let you mess this up, so just be ready for that.”

Tony couldn’t help his smile. “You like him that much already?”

Harley shrugged. “Yeah, I guess, but I can tell you really like him, and that’s all that really matters. You deserve that.”

There wasn’t time for a response on Tony’s part before they heard the front door to the penthouse open. Tony frowned as he pulled his phone from his pocket to check if Stephen had been trying to get in touch with him. Seeing nothing, he looked back at Harley and shrugged.

The pair vacated the bed and left Harley’s room to find Peter and Stephen in the kitchen. The teenage superhero had a goofy grin on his face, and Stephen looked absolutely exasperated.

“What’s going on, guys?” Tony asked upon seeing them.

Stephen sighed heavily. “I told him.”

“Told him wh-”

“I can’t believe you guys are dating!” Peter cut in excitedly.

Tony looked from Peter’s ecstatic face to Stephen’s sullen one. The sorcerer dropped his eyes to the floor.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “But when I stopped him from coming up here, he got really nervous and thought something was wrong and wouldn’t believe me that everything was fine.” Stephen looked back up at Tony. “He wore me down until I just spit it out.”

The laugh that came from Tony was a surprise.

“Yeah, he definitely has that way about him,” the billionaire observed.

Stephen shook his head. “I didn’t mean to overstep. I just wanted to give you and Harley-”

“Stephen,” Tony stopped him gently. “It’s fine, really. I was going to tell Pete anyway, you just beat me to it.”

“How long has this been going on?” Peter asked as if the adults in the room weren’t in the middle of a conversation.

“Almost two months,” Harley answered for them. “But we can talk all about it at dinner.”

Tony groaned. “I really don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Not with you two, just me and Peter.”

“What are you talking about?” Tony asked with a frown.

“Peter and I are going out for dinner. And a movie. And then probably milkshakes or something. You guys are going to do...whatever it is you want to do. Without us.”

“You guys don’t have to do that,” Tony said.

“You’re turning your life upside down to take care of me,” Harley countered. “You’re risking being arrested for kidnapping to make sure I’m okay. The least I can do is get out of the house for a few hours so you guys can hang out for a while without us around the whole time.”

Stephen decided to chime in on Tony’s side. “Harley, that’s not necessary.”

The teenager huffed. “We’re going to get food and go to the movies, not sit in a dark alley huddled in the corner waiting to come back inside. We’ll be just fine.”

Tony relented with a smile. “I suppose I’m footing the bill for this outing?” he asked, already retrieving his credit card. Harley’s face fell slightly, but before he could truly feel bad, Tony added “just bring us back some ice cream, yeah?”

A genuine smile spread onto Harley’s face. “Deal.”

The boys took their leave shortly thereafter. Stephen immediately began shifting his weight awkwardly, suddenly very unsure of himself and worried that he had messed up and Tony had just hidden his anger in front of Harley and Peter.

Strong arms wrapping around his shoulders and Tony’s nose nuzzling into his neck told him otherwise.

“Sorry you’re stuck with me for the night now,” Tony sighed into Stephen’s warm skin.

Stephen breathed a laugh as he slotted his arms around Tony’s waist. “I think I can manage.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Tony pulled back enough to look up at Stephen. “Are you okay with them knowing?”

“Of course,” Stephen replied, frowning slightly. “I wouldn’t have told you otherwise.” He looked at Tony for a second. “Are you okay with it?”

“Yeah,” Tony said, a little too quickly. He dropped his arms from Stephen’s neck and stepped back so they could properly look at one another.

“What’s wrong?” Stephen asked gently.

Tony’s eyes dropped to his feet. “Nothing. I’m just...I don’t know.”

“Did it go okay with Harley? He seemed fine with it. Maybe not as outwardly excited as Peter, but-”

“It was fine,” Tony said. “It went really well, actually.”

“Okay,” Stephen said lamely. He didn’t know if he should press, or just leave it alone.

While he was thinking about it, Tony suddenly looked up at him, eyes dark and pleading.

“I don’t want to go slow anymore,” he blurted. “I’m scared that if we keep going slow, we won’t go anywhere. And I don’t want that to happen. In the beginning it made sense, and I can’t promise that I’m not going to fuck this up, but I’d rather fuck it up by actually trying.”

Stephen smiled. “You’re not going to fuck this up, Tony,” he assured. “But are you sure? Why the sudden change?”

“Harley, actually,” Tony sighed. “He was upset that we put our relationship on the back burner for him, and I told him...I told him that even before he got here, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it work with you,” he admitted quietly, dropping his eyes away from Stephen’s again.

In lieu of an immediate response, Stephen carefully slid his hand into Tony’s and pulled him into the living room. He tried to get the other man to settle into the cushions of the couch, but Tony stayed perched on the edge of his seat, tension making his body rigid.

“Why did you think that?” Stephen finally prompted.

Tony kept his eyes trained on his hand in Stephen’s. “Because I’m a disaster of a person. And I knew I was going to do something at some point to ruin this. So when Harley showed up, I was relieved because I had a distraction from this. A reason to take this really slow and keep it from getting too serious where it could get messed up.”

“Tony, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’m sorry,” Tony said, finally looking up at Stephen. “I’m sorry that it took a fifteen year old telling me to do this right to finally realize that I can’t have one foot in and one foot out. I want to go all in with you.”

Stephen felt his lips twitch into a smile. “You do?”

“I do,” Tony breathed. “Whatever pace that is, that’s what I want. I get that it’s complicated right now with Harley, and that isn’t what you signed up for, but-”

Tony’s rambling was cut off by Stephen kissing him soundly.

“I’m in,” he said against Tony’s lips when they parted. “I’m signing up for whatever you entail.”

Tony’s smile didn’t falter as he pulled Stephen into another kiss. The sorcerer deepened the embrace by cupping the back of Tony’s neck and drawing him closer. Their tongues tangled together while their hands began to wander.

There was no use of magic, but Tony would have sworn Stephen used a portal to get them to Tony’s bed so quickly. Their kiss turned hungry as they fell onto the mattress, Stephen pinning Tony down as the last several weeks of hardly any contact began to spill over. Tony slipped his hands under Stephen’s shirt, running his palms over the other man’s toned stomach and arching up into him to try and leave no space between them.

“Are you okay?” Stephen suddenly asked, pulling back against Tony’s wishes. When brown eyes looked up at him questioningly, Stephen put a hand on Tony’s forearm and gripped it the best he could. “You’re shaking.”

Tony was surprised to realize that Stephen was right. “I just really want you,” Tony exhaled shakily. “But I don’t want you to do this because you feel like you have to. This isn’t what I meant by not going slow any more. Well, not entirely what I meant.”

Stephen huffed a laugh. He rolled his hips forward against Tony’s, earning a soft moan from the man underneath him. “I want this,” he promised. “But we don’t have to do this right now if you don’t want to.”

“I want to,” Tony almost whined. “God I want you, Stephen, please.”

He hadn’t meant to sound as desperate as he did, but had a hard time caring all that much when Stephen started kissing his neck and pulling their clothes off.

“You’ve got me, Tony,” Stephen sighed against Tony’s skin. “All in.”

An almost awkward mix of frantic passion and controlled movements followed. Once they got down to their boxers, they slowed enough to enjoy the warmth of each other’s skin under their hands. Tony pushed up against Stephen until they were on their sides and hooked his leg over Stephen’s hip to slide their hardness together before finally making the executive decision to rid them of the suddenly offending fabric altogether. Stephen moaned when Tony wrapped his hand around their lengths, squeezing them together perfectly.

The kiss that followed was almost only their tongues, mixing together dirtily. Tony used his current leverage to roll them over so the sorcerer was on his back with Tony grinding down against him as he stroked them together. Stephen groaned in pleasure.

It was almost easy to forget how strong Tony really was. Maybe it was just because he was taller, but Stephen was always pleasantly surprised at the display of strength from the other man, who was currently propping himself up over Stephen and looking down at him with pure lust.

“You’re fucking gorgeous,” Tony breathed, drinking in every inch of Stephen laid out underneath him.

Stephen laughed the best he could. “You’re one to talk,” he said as his trembling hands traveled over Tony’s firm body. He traced over the scars littering Tony’s chest carefully, sending shivers through the other man.

Tony knelt back away from Stephen, catching his unsteady hands in his own carefully. Stephen’s eyes raked over Tony’s body, circling back to the erection standing proudly against Tony’s toned stomach.

“This is okay?” Tony asked, his voice almost a whisper. “I swear I didn’t say all of that just to get you into bed.”

“I seem to remember being the one who kissed you and started feeling you up in your lab that day,” Stephen hummed.

Tony let himself breathe a laugh. “Fair point. I just...I don’t want to do anything wrong.”

The near panic in Tony’s voice tore at Stephen’s heart. He sat up slowly to get closer to him, freeing one of his hands to brush through Tony’s hair before coming to a rest cupping his jaw.

“You’re not,” Stephen promised. “We’re not doing anything wrong. This won’t be a casual encounter. This is way more than that, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Tony immediately agreed. “Way more. You have no idea how much you mean to me.”

Stephen craned his neck to brush his lips against Tony’s. “Show me.”

So Tony did.

He kissed Stephen hard, pressing the taller man back against the pillows behind him once more. Tony’s lips trailed across Stephen’s jaw and down his neck, not missing a single inch of skin. He mapped Stephen’s broad chest with his lips and tongue, managing to keep their hips pressed together as he did so.

Tony left little bruises on Stephen’s abs, nipping the skin lightly the closer he got to his goal. He wrapped his skillful fingers around the base of Stephen’s dick, pumping him slowly as he brought his face down between Stephen’s thighs.

A quick glance up into Stephen’s icy eyes told him the sorcerer was more than okay with this. He stared down at Tony intently, watching every move he was making.

Watching the tip of Tony’s tongue flick out of his mouth and against the tip of his length, tasting experimentally before opening his mouth and taking Stephen in inch by inch.

Shaking fingers were suddenly pulling at his hair, trying to hold him in place and make him move more at the same time. Tony smirked around Stephen, loving that he was able to do this to the other man.

Stephen was loving that Tony was willing to do this to him, willing to do any of this with him.

The warm, wet mouth around him was moving steadily, tongue lapping at the head and swirling around before slick lips moved all the way down to the base. Tony flattened his tongue and took all of Stephen down, moaning at the feel of the long dick filling his throat completely.

“God, Tony,” Stephen moaned, unable to formulate more words than that.

Sooner than he would have liked, Stephen was tugging on Tony’s hair in warning. Even though this was their first time together, Tony got the hint and popped off Stephen with an obscene sound. He slowly kissed his way back up Stephen’s body before claiming his lips again.

It was Stephen’s turn to hook his leg around Tony, rutting up against him almost desperately as they kissed. Tony was all but panting into Stephen’s mouth, still trying to catch his breath. The taller man decided to use this to his advantage. His hips jerked forward against Tony’s, forcing the other man to roll back onto the bed again and allowing Stephen to move completely on top of him once more.

They did their best to take their time and savor the feel of one another, but their lust was hard to contain.

“Stephen, please,” Tony keened as he carefully moved Stephen’s hand between his legs, passed his aching erection.

The need in Tony’s voice went straight to Stephen’s own groin. He pulled back to look down at the other man.

“It, uh, it might take me some time,” Stephen admitted.

Tony swallowed, trying to regain control of himself. “Fuck. I’m sorry, I didn’t...I can do it. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“I won’t,” Stephen assured. “I just have to go slow, if that’s okay.”

Tony nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need, baby, I just want to feel you.”

Stephen used more lube than was strictly necessary, but he wanted to be sure he wasn’t hurting Tony. The soft pants and moans he received as soon as the first finger breached Tony’s entrance told him he was off to a good start. He prepped Tony slowly, avoiding teasing the best he could, but not able to go any faster.

Finally, he was curling three fingers inside Tony’s body, relishing every sound coming from the brunette.

“Stephen,” Tony moaned. “Please. I need you, please.”

Stephen drew his hand back and was able to remember to slick himself up before moving back against Tony’s rim.

When he finally slid into Tony’s body, Stephen swore his heart stopped beating.

“Fuck, Stephen,” Tony keened. “You feel so good. Jesus Christ.”

Stephen’s hips fell flush with Tony’s and he stilled for a minute to let them both get used to the feeling.

“You’re fucking perfect, Tony.”

The genius wrapped his legs around Stephen’s waist and drew him impossibly deeper. “Move, baby, please move.”

The endearment went straight to Stephen’s groin. He moaned as he complied with Tony’s request, moving his hips swiftly. Tony’s hands were everywhere as he tried to hold on, but happily let himself get lost in the feeling of Stephen filling him over and over.

After several sure hits to his prostate, Tony snaked his hand between them and started stroking his own neglected dick in time with Stephen’s thrusts. He may have mentioned that he was getting dangerously close, but he couldn’t quite say for sure.

It was over far too soon for either of their liking, but they certainly weren’t complaining. Their releases crashed over them like a tidal wave.

They clung together tightly, trying to calm their breathing and racing hearts. Stephen retreated from Tony’s body, but wasn’t allowed to move very far after that. Tony swept his fingers through Stephen’s sweaty hair, brushing it off his forehead and smiling up at him.

Stephen couldn’t help but kiss that smile.

“I gotta say,” Tony mumbled into Stephen’s mouth, “I really like the new direction this relationship is going.”

“I could tell,” Stephen hummed, earning a laugh from Tony.

His lips moved across Stephen’s jaw, coming to a stop right next to his ear. “I’m really glad you’re dumb enough to stick around.”

Stephen’s own laugh rumbled through his chest. “It must be because you have such a way with words that I just can’t help myself.”

For the next hour or so, they enjoyed being lazy. They got themselves cleaned up, but stayed cuddled together in bed, talking and laughing between slow kisses. It wasn’t until they both realized how hungry they were that they decided to reluctantly get out of bed in order to get some much needed food.

“Why did you order so much pizza?” Stephen asked as he grabbed his third slice.

“You think just because Peter and Harley are eating before the movie, and then probably getting snacks at the movie, and then getting milkshakes after that they aren’t going to be starving when they get back?”

Stephen chuckled. “Okay, fair point.”

Tony waited for Stephen to finish that slice before clearing his throat a bit. “So, about Tennessee.”

“Yeah, I guess we got a bit sidetracked from that conversation.”

Tony smirked. “Just a bit.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t want to be the one to decide that,” Tony said. “I want you to come. Because I think Harley’s right, and you’re my best shot at staying as calm as possible. But I don’t know how long we’re going to be there, or what’s going to happen.”

“I want to go. I want to be there for you, and for Harley if I can. And because I’ll go absolutely insane here by myself worrying about you guys.”

Tony breathed a laugh. “Well, you might go absolutely insane with us, but I definitely like that option better.”

“Hey,” Stephen said, reaching across the island and taking Tony’s hand into his trembling one. “Everything is going to be alright.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah,” he sighed. “I’m just worried about what it’s going to take to get to alright.”

Soon enough, Peter and Harley returned, along with the promised ice cream. They found Tony and Stephen in the living room, arguing over something magic related. They abandoned their discussion when the boys came in, happily accepting their desserts. Before either of them could inquire as to how their night was, Peter called out from the kitchen.

“Oh, great, pizza!” he exclaimed. “I call the last two slices of Hawaiian.”

Harley made a face before heading back into the kitchen to find Peter. “You can have it,” he declared. “I’m not hungry enough to eat that.”

Tony turned to Stephen with a knowing look. “Told ya.”

“That you did,” Stephen said with a laugh.

They joined the teenagers in the kitchen to eat their ice cream while Harley and Peter finished off the last of the pizza. The conversation focused mainly on the movie the boys had seen, and whether Hawaiian was actually a good choice in pizza or not.

None of them knew it at the time, necessarily, but it was the last normal night they were going to have for a while.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter that really just sets up the next couple, which are longer - especially the next one. Which I will likely post tomorrow because this one is so short.
> 
> Again, all of the legal stuff going forward is based on my own experience, but certainly not 100% accurate. For both time and entertainment reasons.
> 
> Enjoy!

It wasn’t something that he would ever admit to the other man, but Tony wasn’t surprised by the phone call he received from Stephen the morning they were set to leave for Tennessee. Right around three hours before they were going to take off, Tony saw Stephen’s name light up the screen of his phone. He halted his packing and picked up the call.

He knew what Stephen was going to say before he even answered.

“Hey, Doc,” he greeted, trying to keep his voice light.

He was met with a heavy sigh. “Hey, Tony. I, uh, have some bad news.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yes and no. There’s an issue I need to take care of, and it can’t wait. I’m not going to be able to come to Tennessee.”

“What’s wrong?” Tony asked.

“A relic has gone missing. Well, not really missing, because we know who has it and where they’ve taken it. I need to retrieve it before...” Stephen let out a long breath. “It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Tony replied. “I get it, you’re a bad ass wizard. Don’t worry about it.”

Stephen was quiet for a few beats. “You don’t believe me.”

That caught Tony by surprise. “What?”

“You don’t believe me,” Stephen sighed.

Before Tony could respond, yellow sparks appeared in the corner by the door as Stephen opened a portal into his bedroom. Tony stared at him in near disbelief for a second.

“How did you know I was in here?” Tony asked, unable to mask his curiosity.

Stephen smiled slightly. “You have to leave in a few hours, and I knew there was no way you would have packed last night, so I figured you’d be in here doing it now.”

Tony glanced back at his bed, where a few more articles of clothing were waiting to be put into his suitcase. He looked back at Stephen as the taller man began walking over to him.

“You don’t believe me,” he said for the third time.

The brunette’s shoulders dropped. “Of course I do.”

Stephen shook his head. “No, you don’t. You think I’m second guessing all of this and don’t want to get involved. You think I’m going to start distancing myself from you and you’re worried you messed this up by telling Harley and Peter about us and saying you wanted to stop taking things slow. You think that because we had sex, there couldn’t possibly be anything else I’d want with you.”

Tony swallowed hard. “I can’t say I blame you.”

“You can’t, because you’re wrong,” Stephen said gently. “I know that this is terrible timing, and I get how it looks. But I swear to you, Tony, I’m not blowing you off. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have to.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony whispered, dropping his eyes to the floor. “I just...I don’t know. This is what I do, this is what my brain does to me.”

Stephen was wrapping his arms around the other man before he had even finished speaking.

“I know,” he muttered into Tony’s soft hair. “And I know it’s not your fault. I’ll do whatever I have to to try and stop that from happening. I don’t want you to have to second guess anything between us.”

Tony’s own arms encircled Stephen’s waist. “I guess I’m just used to people leaving me.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Stephen swore. He pressed his lips to Tony’s temple. “This isn’t going to be easy. Unfortunately, it’s going to get harder before it gets better. But I promise you, I want to do this with you. But for this to work, I need you to trust me.”

Tony stepped back so he could look up at Stephen. “I do trust you. More than I can tell you.” The sincerity he saw in Stephen’s gray eyes grounded him instantly. “You’re right. I know this is going to get tougher. I promise, I won’t do anything to make it harder than it already will be.”

“That’s not what you’re doing,” Stephen said, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t want you to think that. We just need to communicate as much as we can. Even if it’s hard, or uncomfortable. I don’t want either of us talking ourselves into thinking things that aren’t true.”

“You know that’s literally what I’m best at, right?”

Stephen breathed a laugh as he pulled Tony back against him. “Well, not for much longer. I can promise you that.”

Tony held Stephen tightly and took a deep breath. “Be safe, okay?”

“I will,” Stephen promised. “I’ll call you as soon as I’m back.”

“I miss you already,” Tony mumbled into Stephen’s collarbone.

“Me too,” Stephen agreed.

They reluctantly released one another to allow for Tony to finish packing. Stephen took his leave with mutual promises to stay in touch and wishes of good luck.

The change in plan only added to Harley’s anxiety, which Tony was ready for. The teenager’s nervousness boiled over on the plane, once they had been in the air for about an hour and the reality was starting to sink in. The hearing itself wasn’t until tomorrow, but that didn’t seem to be helping matters.

Tony and Harley were sitting across from one another in single seats while Jess, Peter, and Happy were at the table behind them eating some lunch.

“I know this isn’t going to be easy,” Tony started, getting Harley’s frantic attention on him. “I’m not going to lie and tell you that it’s going to be a breeze. But you will be safe. The entire time. That I can promise you.”

“What about you?” Harley exhaled.

Tony shook his head. “Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m here for you, we’re all here for you. We’re just going to take this step by step and figure it all out as we go.”

Once Harley was calm enough, Jess used the remainder of the flight to go over with him what she expected to happen tomorrow. The probate hearing wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon. The morning would consist of meeting with the Rose Hill police, which would likely lead to criminal charges being filed against Harley’s dad. He would then be arrested, and formally brought before a judge to answer on those charges.

“But will that mess up the custody stuff?” Harley asked.

Jess shook her head. “No, it might actually help. Your dad was served with the papers about the hearing, but if he doesn’t show up, that can just extend the process. If he’s arrested and in police custody, they will physically transport him to the courthouse. The criminal and probate hearings would be in different rooms and in front of different judges, but both departments are in the same building. So that would actually be a good thing.”

“What are they going to charge him with?”

“That depends on your conversation with the police,” Jess explained. “Based on our talk with Sgt. Trainor, assault and battery and reckless endangerment would be the very least of the charges. But Tennessee works a little bit differently than New York, so it would be up to the police and prosecutors there. All you have to do is tell them the truth, and they’ll handle it all from there."

Harley nodded. “And this is just the first step, right? We’re going to have to do this a few times?”

“Hopefully not that many,” Jess replied. “This is the initial emergency custody hearing. The best case scenario is your dad agrees to relinquish his parental rights, and a final hearing can be the next and last step. If he is challenging the court’s order, then it will get more complicated and take more time.”

Harley sank into his seat heavily. He chatted with Jess about a few more things, but for the most part, fell quiet and got lost in his own thoughts. Tony watched this happen apprehensively, but knew Harley needed some time to think it all through on his own. He was clearly near exhaustion from talking about everything up to this point, and needed a breather.

Things improved a bit once they got off the plane. They landed in Knoxville, and went right to their hotel. After dropping off their bags, they walked around downtown for an hour or so to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. Once back at the hotel, they opted to get takeout delivered as opposed to finding a restaurant they could all agree on.

Jess was in her own private room, and decided to keep to herself and prep for the next day. Tony and Happy took up residence in a suite with Peter and Harley, with the teenagers more than happy to share a room.

It was easy enough to keep the mood light as the night went on. Watching tv and hanging out came naturally to the group, and Tony was thankful for that. But once it was time to go to bed, he could see the weight of tomorrow already looming on Harley.

“Try and get some rest kid,” Tony said gently when it was just the two of them in the living room.

Harley nodded. “I will.”

“If you can’t, come and get me, okay?” Tony instructed. “I don’t want you sitting up all night by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine,” Harley said with what he hoped was a convincing smile.

It wasn’t.

So Tony never even went into his own room. He stayed in the living room, sort of watching tv, but mostly trying to play out every possible scenario in his head to feel prepared. He did that for a long time, and was starting to wonder just how late it was getting when the door to Harley and Peter’s room creaked open.

Harley emerged slowly, shuffling into the living room with tired eyes that just wouldn’t stay closed for him.

“Am I keeping you up?” Tony asked softly.

Harley shook his head silently. He slid onto the couch next to Tony and pulled the blanket around himself as he settled back into the cushions and turned his attention to the tv.

They didn’t talk. Tony knew there wasn’t anything in particular he could say to make Harley’s worries go away. All he could really do at the moment was sit next to him and be a steady presence for now.

And come tomorrow, Tony would be whatever Harley needed him to be.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a longer chapter and again, liberties taken with the legalities. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Things moved very quickly the next morning. Tony was having a hard time keeping up, and could see the panic and confusion mounting on Harley.

The prosecutor was relatively young, but that seemed to make Harley trust him a bit more. Jake Morris was clearly very smart, and appeared to work very well with the police. He was currently explaining the charges that were filed on Jeff Keener to Jess, Harley and Tony, and what he expected to happen next.

“Your dad has been charged with several serious crimes,” Jake explained. “Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and reckless endangerment are the main two we’re working off of. Based on his record, and the seriousness of what you reported, we want to move for what’s called a dangerousness hearing.”

“He has a record?” Harley asked.

Jake nodded. “You didn’t know that?”

“No,” Harley shook his head. “I don’t remember him ever being in trouble when I was younger, but that was a long time ago.”

“Your dad has served significant jail time for various offenses. Mostly drug related, but a few serious violent offenses that went hand in hand with the drug crimes.”

“Okay,” Harley said, trying to keep up. “So what’s a...what kind of hearing is it?”

“A dangerousness hearing. It’s to determine any conditions of release while the case against your dad is pending. What we would argue is that there are no conditions that can ensure your safety, or the safety of the public, because he’s too dangerous to be released at all.”

“What do you mean by conditions?” Harley asked.

“Usually, when someone is arrested, the only determination the judge makes is whether or not bail should be set,” Jake replied. “Bail is used to make sure the defendant returns to court. In your dad’s case, he has a history of not showing up when he’s scheduled to. But judges can also set other conditions, especially in cases of violence like this. The judge could order your dad to stay away and have no contact with you, which would coincide with the current probate order. The judge could put him on a GPS monitor to make sure he stays away, order drug testing, or even pre-trial anger management classes.”

“But you don’t want any of that.”

Jake shook his head. “No, I think the window for all of that has long since passed with your dad. I think he’s too dangerous to be released, and I would ask the judge to hold him without the possibility of release on bail while this case is pending. The judge would make the determination based on the evidence.”

“So I would have to testify,” Harley concluded.

“In some cases, we can have police officers testify as to what they saw, but here, this happened to you. The best evidence is what you can directly tell the judge.”

Harley swallowed hard. “Do I have to?”

“This is the toughest part of my job,” Jake said by way of beginning his answer. “I have to represent the government and prosecute your dad. There’s a lot I have to take into consideration, and your input is certainly one of those things.” Jake sat forward slowly and folded his hands on the table between them. “I have to do my job and make sure your dad is held accountable.”

Harley glanced over at Tony, who was watching him carefully.

“But I am not going to force you to testify,” Jake went on. “The judge wouldn’t have as much direct evidence to go off of without you, but I would still go forward with what I do have. I can use the photos, police reports, Mr. Stark could testify.”

“I would have to testify eventually, though, right?”

“If the case goes to trial, then yes. But a lot could happen before that.” Jake dropped his hands from the table and stood. “I’m going to give you some time to think about it, okay? I’m going to go get the paperwork put together for the judge. We have some time.”

“This would happen today? Right now?” Tony asked, speaking for the first time since meeting Jake.

“Yes. Defendants are entitled to an immediate hearing unless we can show good cause for a continuance.”

Tony nodded once, and Jake left the room.

Harley immediately turned to Jess and Tony. “What should I do?”

Jess shook her head slowly. “I don’t think we can answer that for you, Harley. You’ll have to explain to the judge everything you explained to the police. And then your dad’s lawyer will cross examine you. The point of that is to try and poke holes in your testimony, make the judge think you’re exaggerating or making it all up to try and get his client released.”

Harley tried to take a deep breath. “I don’t want him to think he’s going to get away with this,” he said as tears filled his eyes. “He knows how to scare me. He’s been doing it for so long...he wants me to just give up.”

Tony put his hand on Harley’s shoulder firmly. “You can do this, Harley,” he was saying before he even realized he was going to speak. “You’re smarter than him, you’re stronger than him. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Hearing that certainly helped, but Harley already had his mind made up. He was going to testify. He was going to see this through, no matter what that entailed.

It turned out to entail slightly more than Harley, or any of them, anticipated.

Tony wasn’t allowed to be in the courtroom while Harley was testifying because he too was a witness, and the judge ordered them sequestered so their testimonies wouldn’t be influenced by one another. Happy, Peter and Jess were able to see the entire hearing, however, and relayed to Tony later that Jake did a fantastic job on his direct examination, and Harley also did really well.

When Jeff Keener’s lawyer, an older man named John Finlay, started to question Harley, that’s when things started to get out of hand.

Attorney Finlay was old school, and very aggressive. He didn’t care that Harley was fifteen years old, and had just explained in excruciating detail the abuse that had been inflicted on him at the hands of his own father.

“Isn’t it true you never called the police to report any of this?” Finlay asked.

“No, I didn’t.”

“You never reported any of this until Tony Stark brought you to a police station in New York, correct?”

“Yes.”

Harley was taking Jake’s advice and not trying to explain himself. Jake had told him that the attorney would ask the judge to instruct him to give yes or no answers if he tried to elaborate, so he was keeping his answers short.

“So whatever he told you to say to the police is what you said, right?”

“No. He only told me to tell them the truth.”

Finlay scoffed. “But you didn’t tell them the full truth, did you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Okay. So, you told them that you were selling drugs too?”

Harley felt his blood run cold. “I...”

“You said you told the police the full truth. So, did you tell them that you were selling drugs?” Finlay demanded.

“Objection!” Jake almost yelled. “Counsel is trying to make the witness, a minor no less, incriminate himself.”

Judge Elizabeth Powers turned to Harley. “Mr. Keener, do you remember the warning I gave you in the beginning of this hearing? That you do not have to testify to anything that may result in your being charged with a crime?”

Harley nodded. “Yes, your honor.”

“Do you understand that right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Okay. Do you wish to answer counsel’s question?”

Harley looked at Jake, then at Jess, Peter and Happy in the audience. He dropped his eyes to his lap and shook his head slowly. “No.”

Peter looked at Happy. “What does that mean?” he whispered, but received no response.

“Counsel. You may proceed,” Judge Powers instructed.

Finlay clapped his hands together. “So, you didn’t tell the police the whole truth?”

“Objection,” Jake said again.

“Sustained,” Judge Powers ruled before Finlay had a chance to respond. “Counsel, the witness is asserting his fifth amendment privilege as to that line of questioning.”

“Your honor, I have the right to highlight that this witness has not been truthful and his testimony should therefore be-”

“Counsel. The objection is sustained. Move on.”

Harley handled the remainder of the questions well, but it was clear to see the change in his demeanor. He kept his eyes down and voice relatively low.

After Finlay had finished, Jake was able to ask some more questions.

“Harley, why didn’t you ever go to the police?”

“Because I was scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Of my dad,” Harley said, nodding slightly towards where his dad was sitting in handcuffs next to his lawyer. “And scared that I would have to go to a foster home or something."

“Why did you run away to New York?”

“Because...” Harley had to take a steadying breath. His dad was glaring at him, but Harley kept his eyes on Jake. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go. And I knew I would be safe with Mr. Stark.”

“Are you afraid of your father?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Jake had warned Harley that some of the questions he was going to ask may seem redundant, or downright stupid. But he explained that reiterating the highlights to the judge was important, and the burden they had to overcome was clear and convincing evidence that his dad was a danger.

“He hit me, a lot. Whenever he would get mad or I messed something up. If there wasn’t enough food or whatever. And he would threaten me. Say things like ‘if you think this is bad, wait until next time’ and that he was going to send me to see my mom and sister.”

After he was excused by the judge, Harley went into the audience and sat with Jess, Happy and Peter. Because he had already testified, he would be allowed to watch Tony’s testimony due to the fact that Harley was not going to be recalled as a witness, and therefore wouldn’t be influenced by anything Tony was saying.

He didn’t do as well as Harley did with keeping his answers short.

“Mr. Stark,” Finlay began after Jake’s direct. “Isn’t it true you waited two days before bringing Harley, a minor, to the police station?”

“Yes, I did.”

“So you thought it was appropriate to keep a child, who is not yours, in your home for two days without alerting his father or the police?”

“Based on the fact that he was running away from an abusive son of a-”

“Mr. Stark. Yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“And you told him exactly what to say to the police, didn’t you?”

“No.”

“Isn’t it true-”

“Probably not,” Tony answered before the question could even be formed.

“Mr. Stark,” Judge Powers almost sighed. “Please wait for counsel to ask a question before responding.”

“Sorry, your honor,” Tony replied, but he didn’t look or sound all that sorry.

Finlay tried again. “Isn’t it true that you told Harley that if he told the police his father was abusing him, he would get to stay with you in your luxurious tower with all the money he could ever want?”

Tony laughed. He couldn’t help it. “No. That’s not what I said. I told him to tell the police the truth and that I would do whatever I had to so that he would be safe.”

“You used your wealth and status to lure a minor child away from his father, didn’t you?”

“No. I did not. But I should have gotten him out of there sooner before that jackass-”

“Yes or no, Mr. Stark.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “No.”

Finlay gave up shortly after. In all of his years experience, he had never dealt with a witness quite as stubborn as Tony Stark.

While the lawyers made their final arguments to the judge, Tony joined Harley and the rest in the audience. He immediately noted that Harley looked exhausted, and had his eyes glued to the floor.

Judge Powers took a recess in order to review all of the materials she had been provided before making a final decision. Jeff Keener and his attorney went back into lockup to converse. Jake motioned for the group to follow him back to the room they had first met in.

Once inside, Harley broke down.

“I’m so sorry,” he blurted, looking frantically between Jess, Jake and Tony. “I didn’t tell anyone about the drugs because it was only a couple times, I swear, and I needed the money and didn’t know what else to do.”

Harley’s breathing quickly got away from him. He was almost panting, and sweat broke out onto his forehead. The small room didn’t accommodate for the number of people currently inside. Happy picked up on it, and was able to lead Jake, Peter and Jess out of the room to give Tony and Harley a minute.

“Just breathe, kid,” Tony instructed as calmly as he could.

“I didn’t want to lie to you! Or to Jess, or Jake. But I just...I didn’t know how to explain that and my dad always said that he would use it against me so I should have just told you about it right away.”

Tony wasn’t really sure what Harley was talking about, having not been in the room during his testimony. But he didn’t care. He pulled the teenager against him into a tight hug to try and get Harley to stop shaking.

“I don’t care what you did,” Tony started. “None of that matters. I know you’re scared, and you’ve only done what you thought was right. That’s fine. I can’t ask any more of you than that. But I need you to just breathe for me right now, okay?”

Harley nodded the best he could against Tony’s shoulder. When he was able to catch his breath, Tony let him go and steered him over to the chair. Tony sat next to him, keeping a steadying hand on the curve of Harley’s neck. He took a deep breath and forced himself to meet Tony’s eyes.

“I didn’t just buy drugs for my dad,” he began. “I helped the dealers sell a couple times. I was just the runner, I just took it from them to the person who was buying it. They had already given the money over, so I just handed it to them. I only did it a few times, because they gave me ten bucks each time I did it and I needed that money at the time. But one of the guys...he knew my mom. They had worked together at the diner. And when he saw me, he made them stop using me. He gave me some money and told me to never come back, and I didn’t.”

Tony clenched his jaw. He wasn’t angry at Harley, but at the situation he had been in for so long.

“Did the attorney ask you about that?” Tony prompted gently.

Harley nodded. “My dad must have told him. I didn’t admit to it...I told the judge I didn’t want to answer so I wouldn’t incriminate myself.”

“Good,” Tony breathed. “That was the right thing to do.”

“But not answering is the same as saying yes,” Harley groaned. “Obviously I didn’t answer because the answer was yes. And now Jess and Jake know that I lied, to them and to the police.”

“You didn’t lie,” Tony argued. “Yeah, you left that part out. That’s not the same as lying.”

“You think the police are going to agree with that?”

Tony sighed. “I don’t know. But I don’t think they’re going to hold it against you. It’s obvious you were doing it because you didn’t have a choice.” He dropped his hand from Harley when the teenager raised his own hands to rub over his face.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he all but whispered. “I didn’t want you to...”

As he trailed off, Tony frowned. “To what?” Harley kept his eyes on the table. “Hey,” Tony prompted, making Harley look back up at him. “I don’t care, okay? Whatever you had to do, whatever you told me or didn’t tell me, doesn’t change anything. It’s never going to change anything. I’m never going to not want you around.” Harley’s face scrunched at that. Tony breathed a short laugh. “You know what I mean. I’m on your side, Harley, no matter what. I promise you that.”

A soft knock on the door preempted a response from Harley. Jake and Jess came back into the room, closing the door behind them.

“Before you say anything,” Jake started, “just know you aren’t in trouble. And you’re never going to be in trouble. I spoke with the police, and they have no interest in pursuing any charges against you for anything related to what your dad made you do.”

Harley breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he said sincerely. “I just...I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to pretend it didn’t happen.”

“It’s okay, Harley. It’s not something we have to worry about. But, the judge is ready with her decision whenever you’re all set to come back into the courtroom.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Really? That fast?”

“That’s actually a good thing,” Jake replied. “She’s smart. She’s not going to be tricked by Finlay trying to make it seem like you did something wrong. She’ll see that that was another way your dad was abusing you. I think she made up her mind so quickly because the answer is obvious.”

Harley looked at Tony, who nodded slightly. “Okay,” Harley said. “Let’s go.”

Judge Powers delivered her decision swiftly and concisely.

“I find, by more than clear and convincing evidence, that the defendant poses a danger to the victim as well as the general public, and that there are no conditions of release that could ensure the victim’s safety. The defendant will be held without bail. Counsel, a date for pre-trial hearing, please.”

Court recessed again for lunch just before one o’clock.

They met with Jake again briefly. He explained that the next court date was in thirty days, because Harley’s dad was held in custody, but that they didn’t need to be here for that. Not much would happen other than filing some paperwork and getting another date. Jake applauded Harley and Tony for their testimonies, but mostly Harley. He promised he would be in touch with any updates, and urged them to call him if there were any questions.

Harley didn’t have any questions at this point. All he wanted to do was sleep.

But the probate hearing still hadn’t happened yet. It was scheduled for three.

“Go get something for lunch,” Jess encouraged them. “I’m going to meet with Social Services. We can all sit down before the hearing so you’ll know what to expect. But you deserve a break for an hour or so.”

No one could argue with that.

Happy drove them to a deli not far from the courthouse. Peter managed to get Harley to talk a bit during lunch, but not about anything of importance. The boys opted to take a walk around the park down the street with the time they had left, while Happy and Tony stayed back by the car to give them some space.

“Thank you for coming with us, Hap,” Tony said softly.

Happy had rarely heard Tony’s voice sound like that. “Of course, boss.”

Tony sank down onto the bench outside the deli, and Happy followed suit. Tony was watching as Peter and Harley walked, until they took the turn into the park and disappeared.

“What do you think?”

“About what?” Happy asked with a small frown.

“Harley. Him living with me.”

“I think the kid is lucky to have you.”

“You’ve known me for a long time,” Tony said, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees. “You’ve seen me at my worst. You think a teenager living with me is a good idea?”

Happy certainly knew Tony well enough to know how his mind worked. He was coming up with every worst case scenario possible to convince himself that he wasn’t capable of handling this.

“Yeah, I have,” Happy agreed. “But I’ve also seen you at your best, which has been way more recent than your worst. You’re not the same guy you were when I started working for you. That much I can say for sure. And it’s obvious you care about that kid and would do anything for him.”

Tony hung his head. “I just don’t want to make this worse for him. I don’t want to fuck up his life any more than it already is.”

“You’re not going to be perfect at this. But the kid is way better off with someone who cares about him, who will probably make a mistake, than his own father who didn’t even bat an eye at making his kid sell drugs to support his own habit. And he really doesn’t seem to want to go live with strangers.”

“I don’t want that either,” Tony sighed. “I just...god, I just want this to all be okay.”

“It will be,” Happy assured, “because you’re never going to give up on that kid.”

Tony lifted his head to look at Happy and smiled. “No, I’m not.”

The probate hearing had much fewer fireworks than the prior proceeding.

With Harley’s dad in custody, and refusing to participate in the probate hearing at this point, it was clear that he was going to remain in the care of Social Services. The hearing was to determine whether he would stay in the custody of New York Social Services, or come back to Tennessee. Jess assured him that so long as the judge felt that he was being cared for in New York, he would not be ordered back to Tennessee.

Thankfully, Jess was correct.

Judge Greg Marotta looked to Harley to be far too young to be a judge, but he certainly seemed to know what he was doing up on the bench.

“Mr. Keener, the probate court works very differently than the criminal court. Due to the outcome of the dangerousness hearing, and your father refusing to be brought in for this hearing, it’s clear that he is not a suitable guardian for you. I can’t relinquish his rights at this point, but I can make a more solid determination as to custody going forward for now. Do you understand what’s going on?”

“Yes, your honor,” Harley replied, doing his best to stand still and not bounce from foot to foot.

“Good. Now, it’s my understanding that you want to remain in New York, living with Mr. Anthony Stark. Is that correct?”

“Yes, your honor.”

Jess and the worker from Tennessee Social Services had already reported to the judge their lengthy discussions. Jess laid out her findings in terms of her conversations with Harley and the police, as well as interviews with Tony and her opinion that he is a suitable placement for Harley.

“Is anyone forcing you to make this decision?”

“No, sir.”

“And is it your intentions, through Attorney Diaz, to petition this court to terminate your father’s parental rights and seek adoption?”

Harley nodded. “Yes, your honor.”

Judge Marotta began filling out the paperwork in front of him. “This is certainly a unique situation, but I have no reason not to trust the experienced professionals in front of me here today. And you, Mr. Keener, appear not only old enough, but wise enough to know what you’re doing. Permitted nothing changes, and Mr. Stark complies with the orders to cooperate with Social Services in any manner they deem appropriate, I am ordering custody of Harley Keener to them, with the intention of care being placed with Anthony Stark.”

The car ride back to the hotel was mostly a blur to Harley. He was exhausted. Relieved, and yet still worried. Tired, but with no desire to sleep.

“Harley.”

Tony’s gentle voice cut through the static in his head. Harley looked up at him, realizing for the first time they were back in the hotel, in the living room. Peter and Happy were behind Tony, looking at him with concern.

“I’m okay,” Harley sighed. “Just a little out of it, I guess.”

Tony nodded slightly. “Do you want to stay here another night and head back in the morning?”

“Can we just leave now? I know we’ll get back kind of late, but I just...I want to go home.”

The billionaire’s heart tugged at Harley’s use of _home_. “Yeah, we can leave now. Happy will make the arrangements. We can grab some food for the plane on the way to the airport, okay?”

“Yeah,” Harley replied simply before getting up to go pack with Peter.

Happy hung up the phone a few moments later. “All set, boss. Need anything else?”

Tony was staring down at his own phone, willing it to ring. But it didn’t.

“No, Hap, we should be good. We’ll get out of here as soon as the boys are ready.”

Peter and Harley emerged from their room roughly ten minutes later. Peter locked eyes with Tony and silently conveyed his concern for the other boy. Tony nodded slightly to try and ease Peter’s worry, but knew it wasn’t going to actually do much.

The ride to the airport was silent. They picked up a couple of pizzas on their way, even though no one seemed to be in much of a mood to eat. Exhaustion was settling in, and that predominated everything else.

Harley fell asleep shortly after they took off. Peter sat vigilantly next to his friend, reading a book, but glancing over at Harley every minute or so.

Happy was going to comment on the fact that Tony was clutching his phone in his hand like a lifeline when it began vibrating. Tony visibly lit up, but that energy immediately faded when he looked at the screen.

“Hey, Rhodey,” he answered.

Happy couldn’t think of a reason why Tony wouldn’t have been happy to hear from his best friend, but he had clearly been hoping someone else was calling.

“How did it go?”

“It was...a lot. Harley’s dad was held without bail by the judge after a hearing. But the probate stuff went fine. New York has custody, and he’s allowed to stay with me. We’re on our way home now.”

Rhodey could hear the tiredness in Tony’s voice. He knew his friend well enough to know he would be physically and mentally spent at this point.

“Okay, good. Good.”

“What’s up?” Tony asked, trying to keep his voice from dropping.

Rhodey sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bother you, but I wanted to give you the heads up before you got back.”

“Heads up about what?”

“Rogers and Danvers aren’t getting along,” Rhodey reported. “Which I know is no surprise. But it’s starting to get out of hand. The Rogues want to revisit the terms of their integration agreement and discuss breaking off into their own organization.”

“And let me guess. I get to play mediator?”

“Fury and Danvers want you to try and talk some sense into him.”

Tony let out a laugh. “Why the hell do they think Cap will listen to me?”

“Because he said he would.”

“What?”

“Rogers said he only wants to deal with you. That he’s willing to talk it all out, but only if it’s through you.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Tony exhaled.

“Yeah,” Rhodey agreed. “I’m sorry, man. I just wanted to avoid Rogers showing up on your doorstep. I wanted you to hear it from me first.”

“Thanks, Rhodey. I appreciate it.”

“Let me know what you need from me, okay? With anything.”

“I will,” Tony promised before they hung up.

Happy regarded Tony for a second. “Everything okay?”

“I don’t know,” Tony answered honestly. “But I don’t care right now.”

Serious consideration was given to letting Harley just continue to sleep on the plane, even though they had landed. The teenager hadn’t so much as opened his eyes the entire flight. Tony hated to disturb him, but knew he would be much happier getting back to the tower.

Which he certainly was.

Once he stepped into the penthouse, Harley felt like he could actually breathe again. It made the results of the last thirteen or so hours finally feel real. He was in New York. He could stay. He was safe.

After long, hot showers all around, Peter and Harley joined Tony in the living room. The Office was already on, and they indulged in a few snacks while they watched the show in silence. Harley drifted off to sleep again, and it wasn’t until he was sure he was out that Peter spoke up.

“Do you think he’s okay?” he whispered to Tony.

“I think he will be,” Tony replied. “He’s just been through a lot. That couldn’t have been easy, having to testify like that.”

Peter nodded. “I wish there was something I could do.”

“You are doing something. Being his friend, being there for him is huge. He needs that, needs you.” Before Peter could respond, a yawn overtook him. Tony smiled fondly. “Why don’t you go sleep in his room? I’ll stay out here with him. I doubt he’s going to wake up before morning.”

“Are you sure?” Peter asked, looking at Harley curled up on the other side of the couch.

“Yeah. You need rest as much as he does. I promise there will be pancakes in the morning.”

“Okay,” Peter said with a smile as he got up. “Good night, Mr. Stark.”

“Night, Pete.”

Tony pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over Harley, careful not to wake him. He then settled onto the couch in the spot Peter had just occupied, leaning into the pillows and trying to let himself relax.

The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was checking his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed anything.

He hadn’t.


	9. Chapter 9

When Harley began to stir the next morning, Peter had been in the chair in the living room for about a half hour. He and Tony hadn’t talked yet, not wanting to wake Harley just yet. But he eventually did on his own, yawning and stretching before sitting up and looking around slowly.

“Did I sleep here the whole night?”

“Yeah,” Tony said with a short laugh. “You were exhausted.”

“I guess so,” Harley mumbled around another yawn. “Sorry.”

Tony stood from the couch to head to the kitchen. “No apology necessary, kid. I’ll get some breakfast going.”

Part of Peter wanted to go in and help, but he stayed where he was when Harley didn’t move. The slightly older boy watched his friend for a few moments before deciding it was okay to inquire.

“How are you feeling?” Peter asked.

Harley shrugged. “Still kind of tired, but not nearly as much as yesterday.”

“I don’t mean just that.”

“Oh,” Harley said lamely. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m...okay. I guess I just wasn’t expecting to have a hearing like that, and to have to testify and everything. And when the attorney brought up the stuff about the drugs...” he trailed off, dropping his eyes away from Peter’s.

“You didn’t answer the question because it was true, right?”

Harley swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

“Well...you shouldn’t feel bad about that,” Peter said. “Whatever you did, it was because you were on your own and had to take care of yourself. I don’t think you did anything wrong.”

“I’m still not proud of it,” Harley said so quietly Peter almost didn’t hear him.

“I’m proud of you.” Peter’s statement caused Harley to look up at him. “Everything you’ve been through, that wasn’t easy. None of this is easy for you, but you’re doing the right thing and standing up for yourself and holding your dad accountable. And I know that Mr. Stark is proud of you too.”

Harley wasn’t sure how he managed, but he was able to keep his tears at bay. “I don’t think you know how much that means to me, hearing you say that.”

Peter gave Harley a warm smile. “Let’s go help him, make sure he uses enough chocolate chips,” he said, flicking his head towards the kitchen.

At the boys’ insistence, Tony had not, in fact, been using enough chocolate chips in the pancakes. So they immediately rectified that.

Shortly after breakfast, Peter reluctantly had to return home, knowing May had been working overtime a lot and he wanted to be sure to get stuff done around the house so she wouldn’t have to. He made tentative plans with Harley to go see a movie or something tomorrow, and took his leave, declining a ride from Tony several times.

After Harley finished with the dishes, he went back into the living room, where he found Tony staring down at his phone laying on the coffee table.

“Have you heard from Doctor Strange?” he asked, already knowing the answer based on the look on Tony’s face.

The billionaire sighed. “No.”

“You’re worried about him,” Harley observed.

“Yeah,” Tony said with a nod. “I can’t help it.”

Harley sat on the couch next to Tony, pondering how to try and distract him from his concerns. Tony raised an eyebrow at Harley’s sudden introspection.

“What?” he asked.

“Can I ask you something?” Harley prompted after cursing himself for being so obvious.

“Of course.”

“I guess I was just wondering...and I really hope this doesn’t come across as rude or insensitive...”

Tony laughed. “I’m not easily offended, kid. Out with it.”

“Have you always been gay?” Harley blurted. Tony raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I don’t care,” Harley quickly added. “It’s not that. I just always saw the tabloids and stuff about you with women all the time, and I guess I was just surprised.”

“Well, those stories were true. Some of them, anyway. I’m not gay. I’m bisexual, I guess. I don’t know if even that really fits. I, um, like both men and women, but it’s more about the person than their gender that attracts me.”

“So you’re pansexual?”

Tony shrugged. “I haven’t really given it much thought, to be honest with you. I don’t really care what I am. Stephen is really the only person I’ve ever had really strong feelings for. Even with Pepper, I knew it wasn’t the same. I wasn’t the most responsible person when I was younger, and I used sex as an outlet.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Sorry. That was an overshare.”

“No, I brought it up,” Harley said, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“I don’t mind,” Tony said with another shrug. “Are you sure you don’t?” he asked hesitantly.

“Don’t what?”

“Mind. That I’m, uh, attracted to men.”

Harley frowned. “Why would that matter?”

“It would matter if it made you uncomfortable.”

“Well, it doesn’t.”

Tony narrowed his eyes. “Would you tell me even if it did?”

Harley dramatically looked up at the ceiling, pretending to be deep in thought. “I don’t know. Because it doesn’t. So I guess we’ll never know.” Tony wasn’t able to hide his smirk. “We’ve saved each others lives how many times? Our first meeting was teaming up against a terrorist and his army of fire limb people. And you think I’m going to care that you’re in love with a guy?”

That made Tony sit back a little. “Who said anything about love?”

“Obviously neither of you yet,” Harley scoffed. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

“It’s a little early in the game for that, kid.”

Harley rolled his eyes. “Right, because your lives are both totally normally and following normal rules for when it’s acceptable to say you love each other makes perfect sense.”

“Did you get a psych degree in your spare time that I’m not aware of?” Tony demanded.

“If I said yes, would you listen to me?”

The genius shook his head slowly. “It’s not that easy,” Tony said softly.

“I may just be a kid, but I have spent a lot of time around a rather wise adult, so I just might know what I’m talking about.”

“And who might that wise adult be? I’d like to have a word with them.”

Harley chuckled. “I think you just need to trust yourself, Mr. Stark.”

“I can think of a few hundred reasons why that’s a terrible idea.”

“Can’t I trust you?”

“That’s different.”

“Not really,” Harley argued. “All I’m saying is don’t hold yourself back just because you think it’s what you’re supposed to do, that there’s some plan you’re supposed to follow.”

The older man swallowed hard. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

“What if he does? And he’s just as scared as you?”

“Then we’re both idiots, I guess.” Tony used Harley’s following laughter to change the subject. “Enough about me already. How are you doing?”

Harley gave himself a second so that Tony would believe his answer. “I’m okay.”

“That’s it? I bare my soul to you, and I get two words back?”

The teenager rolled his eyes yet again. “God, you’re dramatic.”

“You have no idea.” Tony looked at Harley for a few moments. “Seriously, Harley,” he said gently.

“Really, I’m okay,” Harley repeated. “I was drained after all of that, for sure. And I think I’m still trying to process it, that this is really happening and he’s in jail because of me.”

“He’s not in jail because of you. He’s in jail because of what he did, what he chose to do to you. It’s not your fault.”

Harley nodded slightly. “I just hope I did the right thing.”

“You did,” Tony said firmly. “He put you in this position. You didn’t have any other choice.”

“What do you think is going to happen next?”

“I’m not sure,” Tony answered honestly. “I guess it depends on whether or not your dad wants a trial.”

Harley shook his head. “I don’t know if I can go through that again. A trial would be worse, Jake said that hearing was just the basics, a trial would be-”

“Hey,” Tony cut him off, leaning forward and putting his hand on Harley’s shoulder firmly. He realized that he consistently did that when Harley was upset, because it seemed to calm the teenager down. “You don’t have to worry about that just yet, okay? But you can handle it. You did great at the hearing, and you can do it again.”

“You didn’t even see me during the hearing.”

“I didn’t have to. I know you, and you’re as tough as they come, kid.”

“Tougher than you?” Harley asked with a smirk.

“Please. No one is tougher than me. Except maybe Thor,” Tony conceded, “but that’s not entirely fair because of the whole God thing.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You’ve known this for years. Don’t act surprised all of a sudden.”

“Oh I’m not surprised. Just making sure you’re well aware.”

* * *

Tony was awoken later that night by FRIDAY’s gentle yet insistent calling of his name. When he was finally roused, Tony sat up quickly.

“What’s wrong? Is Harley okay?”

“He’s fine, Boss. Sleeping soundly. Doctor Strange has been trying to get in touch with you.”

The sleep that was clinging to him started to swiftly drain away. Tony looked around him almost frantically for his phone.

“It’s under the pillow to your left, Boss.”

Tony retrieved the device from it’s hiding spot. “Thanks, baby girl,” he breathed. The screen reflected two missed calls from Stephen. He was just about to return it when his phone began vibrating in his hand.

“Hey,” Tony answered, the single word coming out as a sigh.

“Hi,” Stephen responded. “I’m sorry to call so late, and so many times.”

“No, no. I’m sorry I didn’t answer right away. I guess I fell asleep.”

“I assumed you would be awake, I’m so-”

“Stephen, stop. It’s fine. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s all taken care of. I’m sorry it took so long. How did everything go in Tennessee?”

Tony laid back down onto the soft pillows behind him. “It was more complicated than we thought. It’s kind of a long story. But it went well overall. Harley’s dad was charged, and is being held in custody. The probate judge allowed the initial order to stand, and he’s allowed to stay with me while we figure the rest of this out.”

“Great. That’s great, Tony. How is he?”

“He’s alright. It took a lot out of him, but he’s doing better.”

“How are you?”

“About the same, I’d say,” Tony answered honestly. “A lot better now that I’m talking to you.”

“I really wish I could have been there with you.”

“I know. Me too.”

“I have to wrap a few things up at Kamar-Taj. I want to get this all done so I don’t have to keep coming back and forth.”

“Okay,” Tony replied lamely, sleep trying to once again take over his brain.

“But I’d like to come by when I’m done, if you don’t have anything going on tomorrow.”

“I don’t. And if I do, it’s canceled.”

Stephen laughed softly. “I’m excited to see you too.” Tony’s heavy sigh from the other end of the line sent a pang of guilt through Stephen. He knew the other man certainly preferred to be woken up, but he still felt bad. “Go back to sleep, Tony. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to,” Tony almost whined.

“I know. But hanging out with you tomorrow might be more fun if you aren’t falling asleep, don’t you think?”

“I like sleeping with you,” Tony muttered. “Wait. Not like that. Well, I mean, the sex was great. Really great. So I do mean that I liked it like that. But I also like just laying with you, regular sleeping.”

“I like all of that too,” Stephen said, keeping his laughter at bay. “But you’re clearly exhausted and need some rest. I wish I could come sleep with you right now.”

“Maybe you can stay tomorrow night?” Tony asked hopefully. “For sleep sleep. Not sex. Unless that’s what you want. We can play it by ear.”

Stephen let a short chuckle out. “I like that idea.”

“I like you.”

“I like you too,” Stephen exhaled. “Get some sleep for me, okay?”

“Okay. But only for you.”

“Good night, Tony.”

“Night, Stephen.”

It would have sounded ridiculous to Stephen if you had told him at any point prior to meeting Tony Stark that he would be smiling like a teenager at the fluttering in his heart caused by a simple phone call.

But here he was.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a nice long chapter to start the weekend off early. Hope everyone is staying healthy and sane!

When Stephen finally arrived at the penthouse the next day, Harley and Peter were busy playing video games using the projector in the lab. He arrived later than he thought, and wanted, but once he found Tony in the kitchen, staring into the fridge, it didn’t really matter anymore.

“Lose something?” Stephen asked, earning Tony’s attention.

The brunette turned to him with a warm smile. He let the door go and crossed the room, hugging Stephen tightly before the fridge even had time to close.

“Hey,” Tony sighed against Stephen’s neck before pulling back and kissing him soundly.

“Hi, Tony,” he murmured against the shorter man’s lips.

Shouting from the lab interrupted their embrace. Stephen turned and looked in that direction, laughing softly. Tony reluctantly released his hold on the other man and stepped back, shaking his head slightly.

“They’ve been in there all day,” Tony reported.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have shown them how to make their video games holographic projections,” Stephen mused.

“Like they wouldn’t have thought of it on their own at some point anyway.”

As if on cue, the door to the lab opened, funneling out two teenage boys who were very busy arguing over who cheated more during the last round of their game.

“Hey, Doctor Strange!” Peter greeted cheerily upon seeing the sorcerer in the kitchen with Tony.

“Hello Peter, Harley,” Stephen replied. “Working hard in the lab?”

“Harley is spending too much time with Mr. Stark,” Peter explained. “He’s turned into a dirty cheat-”

“Excuse me,” Tony interrupted. “I have never cheated on anything, in my life, ever.” Stephen opened his mouth to make reference to some entertainment magazine articles he seemed to recall from several years ago when Tony turned to him and pointed a finger firmly. “That’s enough out of you, wizard.”

Instead of making his comment, Stephen laughed.

“So what are we doing for dinner, Peter?” Harley asked, climbing into a seat at the island.

“I was just checking the fridge, and there’s really not enough of anything to put together a whole meal. Not a normal one, at least,” Tony detailed.

“Well I’m sure the two of us will be able to figure something out,” Peter chimed in, taking the seat next to Harley with a knowing smirk.

Tony rolled his eyes. “You guys don’t have to leave every time Stephen comes over to hang out.”

“Oh, we’re not leaving. You guys are,” Harley decided.

Stephen watched as Tony gave the two boys the most unimpressed look he could manage. It made Stephen’s smile grow.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah,” Peter agreed. “We’ve got a Mario Kart tournament to finish, anyway. It’s probably for the best that there’s no adults around for when it inevitably boils over.”

“So what is it you’d like us to do?” Tony asked dramatically.

Harley shrugged. “You’re adults. You can do whatever you want. Just not here.”

The urge to argue with Harley was almost overwhelming, just based on the principle alone. But Tony had to admit that the thought of spending some time alone with Stephen was very enticing. They never went on real dates due to their status as famous superheroes, and Tony couldn’t deny that he very much wanted to have a normal night with his boyfriend.

He turned to Stephen with an exaggerated sigh. “Do you see what I have to deal with?”

“You poor thing.”

“We’ll have time for an episode while we figure out dinner and wait for it to be delivered,” Harley was saying to Peter.

Tony turned back to them quickly. “I swear to god, if you watch Ozark without me, I will lose it.”

Peter laughed. “No, Mr. Stark, we’ve been watching Black Mirror. Don’t worry, we would never betray you like that.”

“Or would we?” Harley said ominously.

The boys disappeared to the living room to start their show. Tony put his attention back to Stephen, smiling almost shyly at him.

“Do you want to go on a date with me?”

Stephen smiled instantly. “I would love to.”

“Come with me,” Tony said softly, nodding towards the hallway.

Stephen cocked an eyebrow, but followed Tony to his bedroom. His cheeks flushed as they walked by the living room, but Peter and Harley were already engrossed in their show and didn’t even seem to notice. Tony closed the door to his room silently behind him after Stephen had entered.

“I know a really good Italian place we could go where we won’t be bothered,” Tony was saying as he walked over to his closet. “Would you want to do that?” he asked as he rummaged around inside.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Stephen replied. He watched as Tony reemerged a few second later, pulling on a checkered button up over his t shirt before rolling up the sleeves.

It was well into summer, but the day had been overcast and on the cooler side. Stephen was wearing a long sleeved shirt himself.

“Perfect,” Tony said with a smile before walking over to Stephen and folding his arms around his neck. He brushed their lips together and sighed, pulling Stephen forward for a proper kiss.

They kissed slowly, savoring in the taste of one another and the feel of their warm bodies pressed together. Stephen’s shaking hands found Tony’s hips, drawing him even closer. When they broke apart for air, neither strayed too far.

Being close after a few days apart was energizing each of them. Tony adjusted his arm so he could stretch his fingers up into Stephen’s hair, playing with the strands at the back of his neck absently while they breathed together.

“Do you use magic to make yourself more handsome every time I see you?” Tony suddenly wondered outside.

“You got me. The jig is up.”

“It’s these damn cheekbones,” Tony sighed, using his other hand to trace Stephen’s cheek with his thumb. “I feel like I’m going to cut myself on them.”

Stephen stopped Tony’s muttering with another kiss. “You’re ridiculous,” he said with a soft laugh.

“You’re ridiculously good looking.”

“Says the man who was voted Sexiest Man Alive, how many times?”

Tony smirked. “Four. So I know what I’m talking about.”

After a few more dawn out kisses, they left Tony’s room to head to dinner. The boys barely responded to their departure, much more worried about what was happening on the tv in front of them.

As they walked to dinner, Tony explained to Stephen what happened at the hearing. How Harley had had to testify, and what his dad’s attorney tried to get him to admit to. His own testimony, and how much of a dick he found the attorney to be. He had gotten to the plane ride home, but decided against mentioning the part about Steve Rogers wanting to have a chat with him. It just didn’t seem worth bringing up at this point.

They had barely stepped into the small restaurant when they were approached by a very short, very Italian man. He grabbed Tony’s hand firmly, clearly ecstatic to see the billionaire.

“Mr. Stark! It’s been so long since your last visit! So very nice to see you!”

“You too, Mr. Rossi.”

“How many times must I insist you call me Luca?”

“Probably right around the same amount of time I’ve asked you to call me Tony. This is Stephen Strange.”

The proprietor of the establishment was absolutely beaming. He turned to Stephen. “You must know, your friend here is a true life saver. And I don’t just mean when he’s flying around in that suit of his.”

“Is that so?” Stephen asked.

Luca nodded emphatically. “The city inspector gave me a real hard time a few years back. Exposed wires, the cracked sidewalk. The man found an issue with everything. I couldn’t afford to fix it all, and was on the verge of having to close. After almost fifty years, since I came to this country. But Mr. Stark wouldn’t let that happen.”

“I killed the inspector,” Tony said to Stephen.

Luca laughed. “Nonsense. He hired men to come in and fix everything, without even telling me.”

“Because I knew you would have refused.”

“Ah. Well. I’m appreciative nonetheless.”

“What would I have done if you closed? No one makes stuffed shells like you do.”

“Your mother did,” Luca pointed it.

“Exactly. I couldn’t part with them that easily.”

Luca finally released Tony’s hand. “Please, come to your usual table. Gio will take good care of you.”

“He always does.”

They were shown to a table towards the back of a restaurant next to a window that was mostly obstructed on the other side by overgrown bushes. The sun came through at the perfect angle to set the table in soft light.

“His mom was friend’s with my grandmother. He grew up with my mom back in Italy,” Tony offered.

“He’s rather fond of you,” Stephen observed.

Tony smiled. “He’s a great guy. And makes fantastic food.”

Their waiter, Giovanni, came over and took their drink orders. A Coke for Tony, and iced tea for Stephen. Once they were left alone to await their drinks with a basket of bread and plate of oil, Tony looked up at Stephen.

“I don’t mind if you want a glass of wine or something like that,” he said casually.

The billionaire’s battle with alcohol was no secret to Stephen. The first real conversation they had had that wasn’t related to their work was about Tony’s struggles with alcoholism. He had confided in Stephen and asked his medical opinion on an anxiety medication his therapist had recommended. The sorcerer wasn’t sure what had been more surprising: that Tony had asked for his insight, or that he admitted to being in therapy.

Stephen shrugged. “I was never much of a fan.”

Tony cocked an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“I’m more than fine with iced tea.”

“It won’t bother me,” Tony promised. “I’ve actually been doing really well lately.”

Stephen smiled. “I know you have. I’m really proud of you, Tony.”

“You’re one of the biggest reasons.”

That left Stephen a little taken aback for a moment. “I am?” he asked dumbly.

Tony breathed a short laugh. “Yeah. On top of simply wanting to not be a disaster anymore, I knew that I would have to get my shit together if I was going to have a shot with you.”

Stephen was stunned. “You were interested in me back then?” He remembered that conversation with Tony being about six months before they first kissed.

“Yeah,” Tony admitted, grabbing a piece of bread to keep his hands busy. “To be honest, I was interested in you even before that, really. That was just when I realized it wasn’t just a crush, and I wanted an actual relationship.” He chewed his lip nervously.

But Stephen was smiling fondly once his surprise wore off. “I realized I had feelings for you right around that same time.”

Tony blinked. “You did?”

“Yeah. A few days after that, maybe a week, Fury kicked you out of a meeting for flinging paperclips at Lang with Peter’s web fluid. And I got kicked out for laughing.”

“That’s when you knew you liked me?”

“We had to sit in the hallway like we were waiting for the principal,” Stephen continued. “And you kept rambling about Peter’s progress, and how smart he was, and all the projects you guys were working on. It was really the first time I saw you for you, and not the guy you have to be around everyone else.”

Before Tony was able to formulate a response, Gio returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order yet.

“Well, I think I definitely have to try these stuffed shells I heard so much about,” Stephen said.

Tony smiled. “I’ll do the same, please. Thanks Gio.” He looked back at Stephen after handing over their never opened menus. “I guess I’m glad I could fool you then.”

“You didn’t fool me, you fool all of them,” Stephen replied. “I like the real Tony Stark.”

“Yeah?”

Stephen nodded. “Yeah. I like the guy who won’t shut up about rock music and who treats his robots like his kids. I like the guy who burns his microwave popcorn on purpose because he likes it that way and who drives me absolutely insane because he’s as stubborn as I am.”

“That’s not true,” Tony managed around the lump that had formed in his throat. “You’re way more stubborn than I am.” Stephen’s laugh made Tony’s heart soar. He abandoned his slice of bread to reach across the table and gently take Stephen’s hand. “You’re one of the only people I feel like I can be myself around,” Tony admitted softly.

“Then I must be doing something right.”

Tony smiled. “Oh, you definitely are.”

Their meals arrived shortly thereafter, and they both enjoyed them immensely. Stephen easily noted that Tony ate slower than he normally did to accommodate for the fact that it took Stephen a little bit longer to manipulate his fork and knife. He wished he could convey how grateful he was to Tony for that, but wasn’t able to put together the words.

Even after their plates had been cleared away, they stayed sitting there, talking and laughing like they were just two normal people on a date. They were only pulled from their conversation briefly when Tony’s phone happened to ping when Stephen was finishing off his fourth iced tea.

“Sorry, that’s Harley,” Tony reported before he had even taken his phone from his pocket. He removed the device and look at it briefly, rolling his eyes and typing out a quick response to the text he had received.

When he looked back up at Stephen, the sorcerer raised a questioning eyebrow. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Harley is sleeping over at Peter’s. He wanted to be sure and let me know in case we wanted to go watch a movie or something at the penthouse."

Stephen felt a smile tugging at his lips. “He likes you that much, huh?”

Tony shook his head. “No, he likes you that much. And he really likes being a little shit.”

The laugh that Stephen released made Tony want to switch to a career in stand up comedy. His gray eyes lit up with the smile on his face, and Tony wished he could keep it that way forever.

“Do you want to watch a movie at your place?” Stephen asked.

Tony glanced out the window. “Yeah,” he replied, “but I wish we could just walk around or something while the sun is still out.”

“Why can’t we?”

“Because any time I’m in public for more than fifteen minutes I get swarmed by fans and paparazzi and people who, for some reason, just don’t really like me,” Tony said with a sigh.

Stephen could tell Tony wasn’t trying to brag. He knew that to be the truth, just something that came with being one of the most famous people on the face of the earth.

“What if I could stop that from happening?”

“How?” Tony asked with a slight frown.

“A simple spell. No one would recognize either of us. We could walk around all night and just be left alone.”

Tony was smiling before Stephen had even finished talking. “You can do that? It’s not breaking some wizard law or something?”

Stephen shrugged. “I’m the Sorcerer Supreme. I can do whatever I want.”

“Okay, so, that’s really fucking hot.”

Another laugh rumbled through Stephen’s chest. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They made their way out of the restaurant with at least an hour of sunlight left in the day. The streets were much busier now than they had been when they had arrived for their dinner, which had been on the early side. Tony stood still for a moment and watched the crowds move past them effortlessly without giving them a second glance.

“What do they see when they look at us?”

“They see us, they just don’t recognize our faces.”

Tony looked up at Stephen. “Could you do that to me? Make it so I wouldn’t recognize you?”

“I could, yes, but I don’t see why I would ever want to,” Stephen replied. Tony smiled. “What?”

“That’s why I like you so much.”

“Because you’re one of the only people I can stand and wouldn’t want you to not be able to recognize me?”

“Yeah,” Tony said with a nod. “Because you have these incredible powers, and I know that you would never use them on me.”

Stephen turned to fully face Tony. They had both forgotten they were standing outside a restaurant in the middle of the city, effectively acting as an obstacle in the flow of sidewalk traffic.

“Of course I wouldn’t,” Stephen swore. “The only time I ever would without your consent was if I absolutely had to, if you were hurt or something and I had no other choice.”

“I know. That’s why I like you so much,” Tony repeated.

Stephen smiled. He slipped his hand into Tony’s and squeezed the best he could. They started walking aimlessly, strolling the streets easily, hand in hand, talking about nothing of any consequence. Stephen let Tony lead them into a park not far from the tower, and over to a bench by the water where a few ducks were swimming around in the last of the day’s light.

“Is there a spell you could use to get them to let me pet them?” Tony wondered out loud.

“I could turn you into a duck and you could be friends with them.”

Tony seemed to consider for a second. “Only if you’ll come be a duck with me.”

A wave of fondness swept over Stephen. He wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulders and drew the other man against him, pressing a kiss to Tony’s temple before the shorter man rested his head on Stephen’s shoulder.

“If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?” Stephen found himself asking.

“I’m good right here.”

Stephen breathed a laugh. “Okay. But for the sake of argument. You can’t stay here. Where would you go?”

Tony was quiet for a few moments. “I don’t know. Somewhere I’ve never been before, I guess.” He fell silent again, and Stephen thought that would be it, but then he continued. “There’s a little village in Austria. Hallstatt. My mom always showed me pictures of it. Her family would go there for a few weeks in the summer when she was growing up. She always wanted to go back, but it never fit into my dad’s schedule. We talked about going, after I graduated MIT, but we never did. And then they were gone.” Tony swallowed hard. “But I’ve always wanted to go.”

The opportunity to ask Stephen the same question was taken from him by Stephen’s lips capturing his own as soon as he had lifted his head to pose it. Tony immediately sighed at the feeling, his hand finding its way into Stephen’s soft hair. They kissed deeply, and when they finally parted, Tony couldn’t even remember what they had been talking about.

Tony kept his fingers pressed to the back of Stephen’s neck. “I don’t want this to ever end,” he exhaled.

Stephen frowned slightly. “You don’t want what to end?”

“This night,” Tony sighed. He felt like he was getting lost in Stephen’s eyes. “Us.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Stephen promised, sealing it with a firm kiss.

Back at the tower, they ended up forgoing the movie. Stephen pressed Tony up against the door as soon as it was closed, kissing him hard. The engineer’s strong hands gripped Stephen’s hips, pulling their bodies together at every possible point.

It became readily apparent to the sorcerer that Tony was letting him set the pace. Stephen knew Tony was worried about making a wrong move, and the fact that Tony was willing to surrender control to him was going straight to his groin.

They stumbled their way to Tony’s bedroom, kissing and pulling at each other’s clothes the whole way. Shirts were discarded before Stephen maneuvered Tony onto the mattress, covering his body swiftly. Tony hooked his left leg over Stephen’s hip, rolling up against him slowly as he sucked at the other man’s tongue.

Shaking fingers closed around Tony’s hardened length. He gasped, both in pleasure and surprise that Stephen had rid them of the rest of their clothes so quickly. The taller man stroked him slowly while he began his slow descent, kissing down Tony’s body thoroughly.

It was no secret that Tony Stark was very experienced when it came to sexual encounters. But now, being with Stephen again, he felt like a teenager. His heart was racing and he couldn’t get enough of the man on top of him.

When Stephen took the tip of his erection into his mouth, Tony saw stars. His hands flew to Stephen’s hair, holding on for dear life as if this was the first blow job he had ever received. Stephen bobbed his head steadily for several long minutes, using the perfect amount of saliva and suction to bring Tony dangerously close to the edge.

“Jesus,” Tony panted. He tugged on Stephen’s hair. “I’m too close, baby. I want to come with you inside me.”

Stephen groaned around Tony at those words. He pulled off slowly, firmly holding the base of Tony’s dick as he did so.

Tony pulled on him until Stephen came back up to him, claiming his lips and moaning at the taste of himself in Stephen’s mouth. His hand found Stephen’s erection, freeing it from where it was trapped between their hips and pumped him in time with his tongue moving in and out of Stephen’s mouth.

The feeling of the first lube coated finger circling his hole made Tony release Stephen and grab onto his shoulders instead. The prep went slightly faster than it had the first time, but still had Tony begging for it by the time Stephen slid inside him.

“God, Tony,” Stephen keened when he bottomed out, his hips pressing into Tony’s almost painfully. “You have no idea how good you feel.”

Tony kissed up Stephen’s neck and sucked on his earlobe. “Make me come, baby. I want to come for you.”

It didn’t take long for Stephen to get them both there.

His pace was steady but controlled, pressing into Tony’s prostate on every other thrust. Tony was rubbing himself while Stephen moved in and out of him, and when he pressed his thumb into his slit, he was coming, moaning Stephen’s name.

When Stephen came shortly after, it was much quieter, mostly due to the fact that he was biting into Tony’s shoulder, which muffled the sounds coming from him. He managed to unlatch his teeth from Tony’s skin and moved back to his lips, kissing him through their shuddering releases.

Eventually, he pulled out of Tony’s pliant body, shifting to the side as he fell to the bed beside him. Tony turned against him, wrapping an arm around his waist as his face found a spot against Stephen’s neck. Stephen ran his trembling hands up and down Tony’s back, feeling the chill of the air conditioning starting to settle in against their sweaty skin.

“Can we do the other kind of sleeping together now?” Tony mumbled into Stephen’s neck.

Stephen chuckled softly. “We should get cleaned up first.”

Tony sighed. “I really need to invent an all in one shower bed.”

A few more minutes of cuddling was allowed before they grew uncomfortable and retreated to the bathroom. They let the hot water wash their bodies clean, ignoring the soaps and shampoos on the shelves to instead kiss and caress one another slowly. For a brief moment, Tony really wished he was in his twenties again and capable of going all night long.

But when they climbed into bed, huddling together under the blankets, Tony realized he wouldn’t trade this for anything.

All he wanted was Stephen.

* * *

Sleep left them both slowly the next morning. They weren’t in much of a rush to wake up, so they stayed under the covers for as long as they could. It was only their rumbling stomachs and Tony’s caffeine addiction that pulled them from the warm bed.

Tony dressed in loose fitting joggers and a t shirt, while Stephen opted to don his clothes from last night. He made a height joke when Tony offered him something more comfortable, which got a pillow thrown at his head.

The omelets Tony made them were eaten swiftly, with dirty plates the only evidence that they had existed at all. Tony deposited their plates in the sink, uncaring of cleaning them in the near future. He turned back to see Stephen drinking from his mug, both hands wrapped around the ceramic, the sun from the windows reflecting on his pale face perfectly.

It caused Tony’s breath to hitch in his throat. This was it. This was everything he wanted. To wake up and have breakfast with Stephen every morning, waiting for Harley to come back from hanging out with Peter. Making dinner and watching movies with them and being impossibly happy.

He was back standing at the island next to Stephen before he even realized he had moved. The sorcerer turned and looked at him with an amused smile, but didn’t say anything.

“I just...” Tony started, confidence faltering for only a second before coming back strong. “Last night was fantastic, it was perfect. You’re perfect. And I just want you to know...” he trailed off as Stephen set his mug down, giving Tony his full attention. “I love you. I’m in love with you.”

Stephen was glad he had set his mug down, otherwise he might have dropped it. He stared into Tony’s deep brown eyes and saw nothing but adoration and sincerity.

He wasn’t able to speak. His throat had gone dry, his brain stuck replaying the words Tony had just uttered.

The ringing of his cell phone on the counter next to his mug cut through the suddenly heavy silence.

Stephen tore his eyes away from Tony’s and looked down at it. He picked it up with fingers that were trembling far more than they usually did.

“Sorry, it’s Wong,” he managed before standing up and walking over to the window.

Tony didn’t hear Stephen’s side of the conversation. He suddenly felt like he was underwater and things were moving in slow motion.

“I have to go,” Stephen reported once he was back in front of Tony.

The genius felt like he was going to be sick.

Stephen couldn’t make his mouth keep up with his brain. “I’m sorry. We’ll talk later, okay?”

Tony nodded weakly. “Yeah, yeah of course. Be careful with...whatever it is.”

For a split second, Stephen looked like he was about to say something. A flash of hope shot through Tony, only to be crushed by instead receiving a sad smile before Stephen left the penthouse altogether.

Three hours passed without Tony even realizing it.

He had gone to the lab as soon as Stephen was out the door. He couldn’t even say exactly what he had been working on if asked, but he spent that entire time trying to keep himself busy and not think about the fact that he had very likely just ruined his relationship by being an idiot and opening his big mouth.

It took Harley three tries calling his name to get Tony to look up at him.

“Oh, hey kid,” he said before turning back to the tablet in front of him. “What’s up?”

“Are you alright?” Harley asked.

“Yeah,” Tony lied. “Sorry, you know how I get when I’m working on something. Especially when I’m...stuck.” He switched the tablet off and looked back at Harley. “How was Pete’s? Please tell me you guys behaved for May.”

“We just watched movies and ate junk food,” Harley replied. He shook his head slowly. “Are you sure you’re okay? Where’s Doctor Strange?”

“He had to leave, magical emergency,” Tony said, trying to keep his tone light. “I’m just tired.”

“You’re worried,” Harley added.

Tony sighed a lot more heavily than he meant to. “Yeah. I’m worried.”

That wasn’t technically a lie. It just didn’t happen to be about what Harley assumed it was about.

The teenager nodded slightly. “Do you want some lunch?”

“No, thanks,” Tony said, shaking his head. “I can make you something, if you want, but I’m going to keep working on some stuff in here.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Harley said. “I can handle mac and cheese just fine.”

Tony breathed a short laugh while he watched Harley leave the lab. He braced his elbow on his desk, raking his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, but wasn’t surprised when that did nothing to quell his anxiety.

Letting Harley see him have a panic attack was the very last thing Tony wanted at the moment. He didn’t feel like he was going to, but knew if he couldn’t get out of his own head he would push himself there anyway.

Losing track of time was one of the signs Tony well knew to mean he was letting his control slip. So when Harley was back in the lab what felt to Tony like only an hour or so later, but what the clock indicated was over four hours later, he knew he needed to get his feet back under him.

“I was going to order some food for dinner,” Harley said almost tentatively. “Do you want anything?”

Tony had no desire to eat. But the look on Harley’s face told him the teenager was a little on edge because of his decision to hide in the lab all day on him.

So he forced a smile and stood up, stretching his tight shoulders the best he could. “What were you thinking?”

Harley brightened at that. “Does that barbecue place deliver?”

“I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t mind getting some fresh air. We can go pick it up.”

“Okay, that works.”

They returned to the penthouse about forty minutes later with plenty of wings, cornbread, and more mac and cheese. Tony forced himself to eat, and once he had started, it actually made him start to feel a bit better. Before he could let his mind wander, or Harley brought it up, Tony picked the topic of conversation.

“So what do you want to do about school in the fall?” he asked.

Harley swallowed the piece of cornbread he had been chewing on. “I missed the test date for Midtown,” he said by way of reply.

“I talked to Jess about that, and due to your situation, they’re willing to let you sit for it.”

“Wait, really?”

Tony nodded. “It helped that I make a yearly donation.” Harley’s face fell slightly. “I’m not buying your way in. I didn’t mean that. You still have to pass the admission test, which you will, and then you’ll be able to go to a school that actually has the classes you want to take. Do you want to go there?”

“Yeah,” Harley answered, “but I know it’s expensive.”

“You also know that that’s not going to be an issue,” Tony deadpanned.

“I just...I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Harley sighed. “I came to you because you’re all I have, not because I’m after your money.”

“I know that. I’ve never thought that. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use opportunities that you now have. You don’t have to be stuck in the same situation you grew up in.” Harley didn’t look convinced. “Look, I didn’t make very many good decisions when I was younger. It took me getting kidnapped and tortured to get my act together, and even then, I was still a mess. But you...you’re something I can do right. Not to make up for anything, but just because I want to. I want to do everything I can to help you, Harley.”

“I know you do,” Harley said softly. “I just wish there was something I could do for you.”

“You saved my life enough times. What you can do for me is just be a kid, alright?”

Harley smirked. “I think I can manage that.”

The rest of the night consisted of them watching movies and fighting over the last of the bread pudding that came with their dinner for dessert. Tony didn’t put up much of a struggle, though, knowing Harley would be able to appreciate it more than he would.

When Harley eventually went to bed, Tony went back into the lab. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep. To be fair, he probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep anyway, not after getting to sleep in the same bed as Stephen. He sat back down at his desk with a sigh, telling himself that if he could just get through tonight, everything would be okay.

He really hoped that would turn out to be true.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I have this whole story almost done, I'm going to try to update every day, if not every other. 
> 
> Thanks for all the feedback!

No matter how hard he tried, Tony wasn’t able to take a deep enough breath to get his heart to stop hammering in his chest.

The only reason he was doing this was to get the Rogues off Rhodey’s back. It wasn’t fair that they were trying to manipulate his best friend to get to him. There was no reason he should even be getting involved in any of this.

Which was exactly what he was going to tell Steve Rogers.

His meeting with Captain America was preceded by a meeting with Carol, Fury and Rhodey. They didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know. Rogers and the Rogues were unhappy with the way things were operating. They didn’t like that Carol was in charge, or that they were all on such short leashes. Apparently receiving full pardons and being reintegrated into the Avengers wasn’t good enough.

It was still lost on Tony why he had to play the middle man. Before Fury, Carol and Rhodey left the room to let him wait for Rogers, Tony made it abundantly clear that this would be the only conversation he was going to have with Captain America.

Tony fiddled with his phone in his hands, willing it to ring. Despite his current predicament of having to deal with the situation at hand, he couldn’t make himself care all that much. His mindset was almost entirely on Stephen and his anxiety over the fact that he may have very well ruined everything.

His thoughts were interrupted by Rogers coming into the conference room. Tony glanced up at him before fighting a sigh and leaning back in his chair.

“Thank you for agreeing to this, Tony,” Steve began.

“I haven’t agreed to anything,” Tony replied. “The only reason I’m sitting here is because you won’t leave Rhodey alone.”

“I just think you can help us work all of this out.”

Tony scoffed. “It’s already been worked out. You just won’t accept it.”

“Because we never had a say in it.”

“You had your say. When we were presented with the Accords, you had your say. You made your choices, and did what you thought was right. But it was against the law. You thought you knew better than most of the entire god damn world. You were well aware of what the consequences were going to be, and now here we are.”

Steve shook his head. “Do you really think this is the way things should be? That Danvers should be in charge of people she hardly even knows?”

“She doesn’t need to know us to lead us,” Tony argued. “Look at you. We knew each other pretty fucking well, and ended up trying to kill each other.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill you,” Steve said, his voice suddenly soft.

“You shattered the reactor and left me, in an inoperable suit, in fucking Siberia.” Tony let out a long breath. “But we’re not here to talk about that.”

“Maybe we should talk about that, clear the air, so that-”

“So that you can try and get me on your side and hope Fury will listen to the two of us over Carol,” Tony interjected. “But that’s never going to happen.”

Steve shook his head and held his hands up in the air. “We’re never going to be able to move forward if you keep holding onto the past.”

It took all of his willpower for Tony not to completely blow up. “I’m not holding onto anything. I’m over the past. I’m over what happened with you, and Barnes, all of it. I don’t think about it anymore. What I’m not over is how fucking arrogant and selfish you are.”

“I’m not being selfish, I’m trying to do the right thing.”

“Just because you think it’s right doesn’t mean it is!” Tony yelled before he realized he was going to. But once he had, he had to admit, it felt good. “Has it ever occurred to you, even once, that you’re not always right? No one listened to a god damn thing you ever had to say until they injected you with that serum and slapped the flag on your chest. You were given the illusion of authority and ran with it.”

“How are you any different?” Steve shot back.

“Because I’ve taken responsibility for my actions,” Tony determined. “I’ve accepted the fact that I don’t always know what to do.”

“But Danvers does?”

“No, she doesn’t. And she knows she doesn’t. That’s the difference. She knows her weaknesses and what everyone on the team brings to the table. Leading a team doesn’t equate to just telling everyone else to shut up and do what you say because you’re Captain America.”

Steve looked at Tony for a few moments. “When are you going to admit that this is about Howard?”

It felt like he had been punched in the stomach. “Jesus fucking Christ,” Tony swore. “How the hell could this be about him?”

“You’ve always resented me because I knew him, because we were friends. But I never meant to use that against you. You never gave me a choice.”

“What the fuck does that even mean?” Tony demanded. “Gave you a choice in what? Keeping the fact that Barnes killed him from me? How did I make any choice in that when I had no god damn clue?”

“Because you had this warped idea of your dad in your head that you took out on me.”

Tony clenched his fists under the table to try to quash the urge to punch Steve right in the face.

“I didn’t warp anything,” he said, shocked at how level his voice was. “You have no idea what he was like. You didn’t grow up in a house with a man who treated his son like a failed experiment. But I never held that against you. I wanted to impress you, because I thought...” he trailed off, not wanting to admit this, but then giving in. “I thought that I could gain his approval after all through you somehow. But that was obviously never going to happen.”

Steve was visibly taken aback by that. “I didn’t know that’s how you felt.”

“Why would you? There was never a second where you cared about how I felt, or how anyone else other than you and Barnes felt.”

“That’s not true.”

Tony scoffed. “I’m not arguing with you about this. None of that matters, it’s not what we’re here to talk about.”

Steve smiled in that very annoying way that he had. “I knew you were going to be defensive, but I didn’t think it was going to be this bad.”

The hope was that the smile and jab would disarm Tony, but Steve didn’t quite realize how done with all of this Tony really was.

“You’re lucky I’m sitting here at all.”

“Tony-”

The billionaire had suddenly had enough. “Don’t Tony me. Don’t talk to me like we’re still friends, because we’re not. That was a decision you made. That’s your whole problem, Steve. You make decisions believing that you’re the only person on the face of the earth who could possibly be right. That no one else could even be in the same ballpark as you. And you surround yourself with people who have you on this pedestal, who look up at you and believe you can do no wrong.”

Tony stood suddenly, pushing away from the table as his rant got away from him. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t make choices and then refuse to live with the results of those choices. It’s time for you to start dealing with where you’ve put yourself. This isn’t on Fury, or Carol, or me. This is on you. You have no leverage, no other choice, because of the decisions you made back then. So fucking deal with it.”

The door was closing behind him before Tony even realize he had left the room. Once he was in the hallway, he kept going, not even considering turning back around.

Once he was in his car, he called Rhodey, but stayed parked in his spot in the garage.

“That was quick. How did it go?” Rhodey asked by way of greeting.

Tony sighed. “I wasn’t very receptive. I told him this was his fault, and he has to deal with it. I think I made it clear I’m not open to playing his games anymore.”

“You shouldn’t be. I’m sorry you even had to get involved this much, Tony.”

Before he could respond, Tony noticed his breathing quickening. His heart was pounding in his ears and goosebumps broke out over his skin.

“Fuck,” he breathed shakily.

“What’s wrong?” Rhodey asked, immediately picking up on the change in his friend’s voice.

“I’m fine...this doesn’t...make...sense,” Tony almost gasped. “Why am I...fuck...”

It was a bit of a struggle to open the car door, but once he did, Tony was letting himself fall to the concrete. He could vaguely hear Rhodey calling to him from the car speakers, but wasn’t able to register enough to form a response.

What felt like an hour later, but was really less than a minute, Tony saw Rhodey appear in front of him. He put his hands on Tony’s knees, which he was hugging to his chest as he tried to catch his breath.

“Can you hear me?” Rhodey asked gently.

Tony nodded frantically. “I don’t...know why,” he choked out, but Rhodey understood what he said and its meaning.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about why right now, alright? Just breathe. You’re gonna be okay, Tones.” When the man in front of him started to try to look around, Rhodey stayed in his vision. “No one is around. It’s just you and me. You’re okay. All you need to do is breathe.”

Shaking hands gripped Rhodey’s wrists slightly too hard, but the Colonel made no complaints. He knew that it would help ground Tony, and that was his only concern right now.

Eventually, Tony’s eyes slipped closed and he let his forehead rest against his knee. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“Hey,” Rhodey said, putting a hand on the back of Tony’s head, but to no avail. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“This hasn’t happened in a while. I’ve been fine. I haven’t been drinking or anything. I swear.”

“I know, Tones. I know. You’ve been doing great. But you knew these weren’t going to just go away.”

Tony took a deep breath before picking his head back up, letting it fall against the car behind him. His eyes were glassy with tears, and Rhodey couldn’t remember the last time he had seen him so pale.

“Have you been sleeping?” he asked.

“Yeah. Well, not really the last couple nights. But other than that I’ve been fine.”

Rhodey nodded slowly. “You’ve got a lot going on. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten you involved in this.”

“I don’t think this had anything to do with it,” Tony all but whispered.

“You said you didn’t know what triggered the attack,” Rhodey said with a frown.

Tony sighed. “I know what it was, I just didn’t think it would get to this point.”

Rhodey moved so he was sitting on the ground next to Tony instead of crouching down in front of him. He didn’t want to push, but also knew his friend well enough to know there was something he wanted to get off his chest.

“Is everything okay with Harley?”

Tony nodded weakly. He felt exhaustion setting in rapidly. “Yeah, he’s doing okay. I’m worried about what’s going to happen with the cases and everything, but for right now it’s going well.” He let his eyes fall closed for a second before looking over at Rhodey. “I’ve been dating Stephen. Strange.”

That certainly wasn’t what Rhodey had been expecting. He was well aware of his best friend’s sexual orientation, so it wasn’t that part that was surprising. “Oh,” he said lamely.

“But I think I fucked it up.”

“What happened?”

“I told him I loved him.”

Rhodey shook his head. “Why would that be a bad thing?”

Tony sighed. “Because he didn’t say it back. Because it’s too soon. It’s barely been two months, and we’ve hardly spent any time together with me being so focused on Harley. And then there’s the fact that I’m me, so he clearly doesn’t feel the same way.”

“I know I’m playing catch up, and I don’t know the guy that well, but I think you’re wrong.”

Tony frowned. “You always think I’m wrong.”

“And I’m usually right, aren’t I?”

“Sometimes,” Tony mumbled, but the smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.

“All I mean is, you’re going in a lot of different directions at once. Which I know is normal for you. But maybe it’s not normal for him, and he just needs some time to process everything.”

“That makes sense,” Tony admitted. He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry I’m telling you like this. I clearly don’t have a very good handle on anything at the moment.”

“You’re wrong about that, too. You’re doing a great job taking care of Harley. You just helped me out tremendously by telling Cap to go to hell.” That earned a laugh from Tony. “And obviously you’re doing something right with Strange.”

Tony looked down at his hands. “I thought I was. But now I’m not so sure.”

“When’s the last time you talked to him?”

“Two days ago. When I told him, and then he ran away to go wizard.”

“So what are you going to do? Just let him run away?”

“No. I don’t know. He’s busy, and I think he’ll let me know when he’s not. I just don’t know where we’ll go from there.”

Rhodey shrugged. “People don’t break up just because one person might feel a bit stronger than the other. Try not to beat yourself up about it until you can talk to him.”

Tony cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Rhodey. “Have you met me?”

The laughter from his best friend brought a smile to Tony’s face. They sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Tony was convinced he wasn’t going to have another attack. He pushed himself up, using the car for leverage, before extending his hand and pulling Rhodey to his feet as well.

“Are you good to drive home?” Rhodey asked.

Tony nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. You stuck here?”

“For a little while longer, yeah. But I’ll call you later to check in, alright?”

Tony let himself be pulled into a brief hug before Rhodey took his leave to head back into the compound.

The drive back to the city was mostly a blur to Tony. His mind jumped from thinking about the conversation with Rogers, to Harley, to Stephen, back to Rogers, with Stephen constantly there as well. He wished he could just turn it off for a while and not have to think.

But the only way he could really do that was to drink, and he wasn’t going down that road anymore. Not with Harley around. Not with still having a chance with Stephen.

It hadn’t even been enough time for Tony to get off the elevator before Rhodey was calling him.

“I’m fine, Rhodey. I just got home,” Tony reported by way of answering the phone.

“What did you say to Rogers?” Rhodey replied.

Tony was surprised by that. “I told you. I said this was his fault, and he needs to deal with it because he doesn’t have any other choice. Why? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. It’s more than okay.”

“What happened?”

“He went to find Fury and Carol after he talked to you, and said you were right. He said he was going to talk to the rest of the Rogues and they were going to start working with Carol as a team, because that’s what needs to be done.”

Tony choked out a laugh. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

“Whatever you said, it worked man. Thank you for doing this, Tony. It was a huge help.”

“No problem,” Tony said absently.

Rhodey noted the change in his voice. “What’s up? Do you think he’s toying with us?”

“No,” Tony replied. “That’s not his style. He wouldn’t pretend just to go behind our backs. He would just continue to be openly defiant. Cap acting like he was following Carol just to stage a revolt is the only thing more unlikely than him listening to something I said.”

Rhodey laughed slightly. “Yeah, that’s a good point. Either way, it worked.”

“First time for everything, I guess,” Tony muttered.

Rhodey sighed. “Don’t do that, man.” Before Tony could try to argue his point, Rhodey added “let me know if you need anything okay?”

“You got it, Colonel.”

After his mind accepted what Rhodey had just told him, Tony went straight to his bedroom to take a hot shower. Harley was out with Peter, allegedly at one museum or another, but Tony doubted that was all that was on their itinerary for the day.

The hot water felt great on his tense muscles. He stretch his arms up above his head and rested his hands on the cool tile to try and ease the tightness that had built up from his panic attack. Steam quickly filled the entire bathroom, and it made Tony start to feel how tired he really was. The heat made his eyelids want to stay closed, and his limbs refuse to move all that much.

After pulling on clean boxers and a t shirt, Tony crawled into bed. It was still early afternoon, but he knew without having to talk to the teenager that it would still be several hours before Harley would return. And for the first time in a couple days, he felt like he would actually be able to get some sleep.

Which he did. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

FRIDAY, intelligent system that she was, could sense Tony’s exhaustion and need for rest.

That’s why she didn’t alert him when he got out of the shower that he had a missed call and voicemail from Doctor Strange.

It would still be there when he woke up.


	12. Chapter 12

Tony didn’t look at his phone when he did wake up, roughly three hours later.

He felt better after his long nap. He was awoken by his stomach, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten much since he and Harley had ordered take out two nights ago, so he forced himself out of bed to head to the kitchen to put together something to eat.

Cold pizza was really his only option, but he wasn’t complaining.

It wasn’t until he got a text from Harley telling him that him and Peter were going over Ned’s for dinner that Tony really looked at his phone.

He stopped mid bite when he saw the notification of the voicemail from Stephen.

Using the speakerphone, Tony clicked on the message and put the phone on the counter, not trusting himself to be able to hold it.

“Hey, Tony,” Stephen’s voice came through, sounding tired and unsure of himself. Tony had never heard him sound like that before. “I’m sorry I had to run out of there like that. When Wong asks for my help, it’s a big deal. He hates asking for my help.” There was a rather long pause, so much so that Tony thought that might be the end of the message. “But we’re almost done, so I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t worry. I’ll call you again when I can. I just, uh...fuck. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Apparently, soon was the next day, right around lunch time.

Peter was over again, arguing with Harley over who was the better cook.

“I don’t think you can consider bagel bites cooking,” Tony pointed out. “So it’s really just a tie for last with both of you.”

Neither teenager had an opportunity to respond before Stephen appeared at the outskirts of the kitchen.

“Hey,” Tony breathed, surprised to see him suddenly standing there.

“Hi. Sorry. I should have knocked, but the door just kind of opened for me.”

Tony shook his head. “No, it’s fine. That’s what FRIDAY’s for.”

“Excuse me, Boss. I am not your greeter.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” Tony muttered, looking up at the ceiling briefly before turning back to Stephen. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Stephen said quickly. “I should have called, I know, but I figured I’d come by. But if it’s a bad time, I can just go.”

Luckily, Peter and Harley didn’t pick up on the anxiety that was plaguing Stephen and starting to radiate onto Tony. They were far too busy making sure they had enough bagel bites on the tray to be cooked for their lunch.

“No, it’s fine,” Tony said confidently. “Can I interest you in some bagel bites?”

The fact that Tony was trying to act like nothing was wrong was tearing at Stephen’s heart. He had spent the last few days trying to tell himself it wasn’t a big deal. But that didn’t work, not even for a second. Stephen knew what it took for Tony to have trusted him enough to have said those words. He couldn’t really explain why he had panicked. It had been unexpected, but it seemed to be more than that.

All Stephen knew for sure was that he needed to talk to him, to fix this, before it was too late.

“Can I actually steal you for a bit? Like an hour or so?” Stephen asked.

Tony looked at him for a few seconds before turning to the teenagers. “Yeah, they seem to have things under control here.”

Peter glanced up with a slight nod. “Yeah, whatever you guys need to do. We promise not to set anything on fire.”

“Well, we promise to put out whatever we set on fire,” Harley corrected.

Tony managed a laugh before walking over to where Stephen was still standing on the edge of the room. “What’s up?”

By way of response, Stephen turned and walked towards the front door. Tony frowned slightly but followed, only to become even more confused when Stephen closed the door but made no move to push the button to open the elevator to take them downstairs.

“Would you be okay coming with me somewhere through a portal?” Stephen asked carefully.

Tony blinked. “Yeah. I trust you. I just, uh, can I close my eyes?” he asked shyly.

Stephen nodded. “Yeah, whatever you’re comfortable with. We don’t have to, I just really want to show you something, because obviously I’m not good with words, and I need to explain some things to you.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Tony said, swallowing hard. “Is this about the other day?” Stephen nodded. “Look, I’m sorry to have just sprung that on you.”

“Did you mean it?” Stephen asked as soon as Tony had stopped talking.

Tony’s eyes didn’t waver from Stephen’s. “Yes. Of course I did. But I get that it was too soon, that it was bad timing with everything going on. I know it’s really early in this, hell we’ve only had sex twice-”

“Tony,” Stephen cut him off. “That’s not what I’m trying to say. Can I...can I just try and explain it?”

It was Tony’s turn to nod. “Yeah. Of course you can. Whatever you need me to do.”

Stephen felt a pang of guilt shoot through him for what had to have been the hundredth time in the last few days. Tony was placing absolute trust in him, again, and he hadn’t reacted appropriately to it the first time.

But he was determined to fix that.

“Close your eyes,” Stephen said softly, stepping forward slowly.

Tony looked at him for a moment before closing the gap between them completely, wrapping his arms around Stephen’s waist and pressing his face in the crook of Stephen’s neck.

“Is this okay?” Tony all but whispered.

“Yeah,” Stephen forced out through the lump that had formed in his throat. “That’s perfect. It’ll only take a second.”

A quick rush of air and sudden warmth from the sun told Tony they had gone through the portal to wherever Stephen had taken them. When he felt the sorcerer’s shaking hands on his shoulders, stepping back from him gently, Tony lifted his head and opened his eyes.

Even though he had only seen this place in pictures, he knew exactly where they were right away.

Standing in a small public garden, overlooking a large, crystal blue lake surrounding a quiet little village.

Hallstatt. Austria.

Tony looked at Stephen with a blank expression.

“I shouldn’t have just walked out like that the other day,” Stephen started. “You caught me off guard, yes, but I let myself...shut down, I guess. I’m so sorry, Tony. I should have told you that I feel the same way.”

He took a breath to let his words sink in, but Tony’s face remained unchanged. “I love how you are with Harley and Peter. I love that you make me more affectionate, more caring and just all around happier. I love who I am when I’m with you. I’ve never felt this way, about anyone, and I guess that scared me. Cliche as it sounds, I over analyzed my own feelings instead of just telling you. That I love you.”

There was no reaction from the man standing in front of him. Tony’s brown eyes were locked onto his, staring at him in a way Stephen had never seen before. He swore he felt his blood run cold and his lungs beginning to refuse to cooperate.

“I thought...bringing you here would show you how much I care. Because you told me about this place, about your mom. I’m sorry if I overstepped,” he rambled. “I didn’t mean to. I just thought-”

Stephen’s explanation was cut off by Tony’s mouth covering his.

Strong fingers were immediately in his hair, holding him in place as Tony licked into his mouth. The engineer’s other hand found Stephen’s hip, pulling their bodies flush together as Stephen finally came to and responded to the kiss.

Truth be told, Tony kissed Stephen senseless. A feeling of dizziness was threatening to overtake the sorcerer when they finally parted.

“I can’t believe you,” Tony breathed, his lips so close to Stephen’s they brushed together when he spoke.

“In a good way, I hope,” Stephen managed.

“The best way.”

Tony kissed him again, but much softer and slower this time around. He reluctantly released Stephen from his grip so he could move back enough to look him in the eyes.

“Thank you,” he said simply.

“For what?” Stephen asked with a slight frown.

“Taking me here. I’ve never...god, Stephen, this is incredible.”

“You’re not mad at me?” Stephen posed gently.

The brunette let out a short laugh. “Why the hell would I be mad at you?”

Stephen cocked an eyebrow. “Because you told me you were in love with me and I disappeared for three days. And then took you somewhere very personal to you without giving you the heads up.”

“I’m not mad at you, honey,” Tony exhaled. “I don’t see the point in wasting any time being anything but happy with you. I’m even more in love with you than I was when I first said it.”

Warm, steady hands took hold of his shaking ones. Stephen looked down until he was sure the tears had subsided.

“I should have just told you all of this right away,” Stephen sighed, looking back up at Tony. “I didn’t mean to shut down like that. I’m so sorry. I was going to call you, but didn’t want to do it over the phone. And then I thought of this.”

“This is perfect,” Tony promised, kissing Stephen sweetly. “You’re perfect.”

“I’m far from it. But I am glad that this made you happy.”

“You make me happy,” Tony said.

Stephen squeezed Tony’s hands. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Hand in hand, they walked through the small town. Tony took in every single thing that he could – the shops, houses, cafes. He could easily imagine his mom strolling these same streets, saying hello to everyone she passed, stopping at every fruit and flower stand she could find.

They grabbed coffee and found a table by the water to sit at. Tony had just finished telling Stephen about his meeting with Rogers as he sipped at his drink, which he would argue is the best cup of coffee he had ever had. He would admit that Stephen returning his feelings probably had something to do with that.

“Why didn’t you tell me Rhodey called you about that on your way back from Tennessee?”

Tony shrugged slightly. “Because I didn’t know what I was going to do about it. And there was enough going on that it didn’t make the list of things for us to talk about, I guess.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Stephen replied, his tone slightly off from his normal voice.

“But I should have told you,” Tony added quickly. “It’s not that I didn’t want to talk to you about it. I want to talk to you about literally everything, but I get that that’s not feasible.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I’ll wear you down in less than a day.”

Stephen laughed. “Not possible, sorry.”

Tony looked down at his hands around his coffee cup. “There is actually something else I should tell you about, then,” he said quietly. He looked back up at Stephen to find his worried gaze. “After talking to Cap, I was in my car, about to leave, and I was telling Rhodey about what happened. And I guess I was overthinking things, and tired. So I, uh...I had a panic attack.”

“Oh, Tony,” Stephen breathed. “I’m so sorry.”

Tony shook his head. “Don’t be. I know you’re aware of my issues, and this is a conversation we should have had a while ago, but they happen. Kind of a lot. Not as much recently, thanks in large part to you, but I don’t think they’ll ever completely go away. So I just have to deal with them.”

“How did you deal with this one?” Stephen asked carefully.

“Rhodey could tell I was freaking out so he came and found me. Helped talk me through it. I didn’t know exactly what triggered it, but it was a combination of a lot of different things. Sometimes it’s just one thing, sometimes it’s a few. So I was trying to explain that to him. And I...I told him about you. About us.”

Stephen raised his eyebrows slightly. “He didn’t know already?”

“No,” Tony said, frowning slightly. “I never told him. Did you think I had?”

“I guess I assumed it,” Stephen replied with a shrug. “I know how close you two are. You’re practically brothers.”

“I probably should have told him in a better way,” Tony conceded. “But I hadn’t yet.” He watched as Stephen just nodded. “So you’re not upset that he knows?”

“Tony,” Stephen said firmly, but his voice was gentle. “I think we’re in agreement that we want to keep this as private as we can for as long as possible, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But keeping something private isn’t the same as keeping it a secret. I don’t care about people knowing about us, especially not those we’re close to. We can keep to ourselves without having to pretend we’re not together.”

Tony shook his head slowly. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

“You’ve mentioned it before, if I remember correctly,” Stephen said fondly.

“Well, it’s true. And I just want you to know that I’m really trying.”

Stephen frowned in confusion. “To do what?”

“Trying to be what you deserve.”

“You already are,” the sorcerer said sincerely, his trembling hand covering Tony’s. “How you are, right here, right now, is all I want. You’re all I want.”

Tony swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Well. I’m still going to try.”

As the sun was about the set, they found themselves back where they started, watching the colors change in the sky and reflect off the water. Still hand in hand.

“Where would you go?” Tony asked, looking over at Stephen.

It took a second for Stephen to realize what Tony meant. He shrugged slightly. “Wherever you would come with me.”

“Nah ah. You made me give a real answer. You have to, too,” he demanded, but his smile betrayed him.

Stephen chuckled. “Fair enough. I don’t know. Somewhere warm, with an empty beach and plenty of sun. Portugal, maybe. Somewhere different.”

“Okay. We’ll go there next,” Tony decided.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. But for now, we’ve got a couple of teenagers we should go check on.”


	13. Chapter 13

The next few days brought a lot of downtime for Tony and Stephen. They spent most of their time at the penthouse together, working on their respective projects, but also enjoying being able to be around each other so much. Peter and Harley came and went constantly, always off on one adventure or another. But for the last couple nights they had hung out in the penthouse, watching movies with Stephen and Tony or playing video games in the lab.

A match had seemingly been lit between the pair. It was impossible for them to keep their hands to themselves. And it wasn’t always to escalate things towards sex. It was the simpler touches that were standing out the most.

Like the way Tony would absentmindedly trace the scars on Stephen’s hand while they watched tv. How Stephen would run his fingers through Tony’s hair before leaving the room. Every time they would tangle their legs together before falling asleep.

Which they had done a few hours before, after spending several long minutes thoroughly kissing one another good night. Despite the quiet days that had preceded, they were both tired. Probably from their intense, yet contained sex due to their circumstances (Harley in the next room), but also from everything they had been dealing with the last few weeks.

They slowly drifted apart in their sleep, but Tony’s left leg was still hooked around Stephen’s as he slept on his side.

That was how Stephen became aware Tony was having a nightmare.

His whole body was jerking. Stephen was a light sleeper as it was, and after less than twenty seconds of Tony’s body reacting to his dream, Stephen was wide awake. He looked over at the man next to him. When his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see the despair on Tony’s still sleeping face and the tension in his shoulders.

Stephen was wondering if he should try and wake him up when Tony started gasping for breath.

“Hey,” Stephen said too softly for Tony to hear over his own breathing. “Tony,” he tried, louder this time. But the nightmare rolled on. Stephen sat up and put a trembling hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Wake up, you’re having a bad dream.”

No response other than ragged breathing.

“Tony, wake up,” Stephen tried again, shaking Tony harder.

That was a mistake.

Tony’s eyes shot open as he flung Stephen’s arm away from him. He scrambled to the far side of the bed, almost falling to the floor.

The shock of pain that radiated up Stephen’s arm was nothing compared to the look of pure fear on Tony’s face.

He was almost panting as he tried to catch his breath. His entire body was trembling. He looked frantically around the room. It took several long minutes for him to realize where he was and when he did, he looked back at Stephen, who was sitting impossibly still next to him.

It wasn’t until Tony had taken eleven deep breaths and let them out slowly and under control that Stephen spoke.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “You were having a nightmare, I was just trying to wake you up. Are you okay?” Tony nodded silently. “What can I do?”

Stephen slowly reached out for Tony, but the brunette abruptly got off the bed. Stephen’s arm froze, halfway extended to where Tony had been a second ago.

“You can leave me the fuck alone,” Tony hissed.

He was out of the room before Stephen fully computed what he had said.

The weight of the last several minutes settled heavily on Stephen. He felt like he couldn’t take a full breath as he tried to process what had just happened. As both a doctor and a trauma survivor himself, it didn’t take long to make sense of it.

It felt like everything inside him had suddenly turned solid. The thought of doing anything to cause Tony any additional turmoil made him feel sick to his stomach.

Stephen cursed himself for being so rash. He should have known better. He does know better. He let his own comfort with Tony get the better of him.

Some amount of time passed. Stephen had no way of knowing exactly. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out what he should do. Going after Tony certainly wasn’t an option. So he could either leave, or stay. Would Tony want his bed to be empty when he came back in? Was he even going to come back?

Asking FRIDAY what to do was becoming a serious possibility when Stephen saw Tony’s silhouette in the doorway.

There was no question that he was still upset. Even in the dark Stephen could see Tony’s eyes were red rimmed from crying. His face was pale, and his hands were still shaking. Tony crossed the room very slowly, sitting on the edge on his side of the bed heavily.

Stephen held his breath for what felt like an hour before Tony broke the silence.

“I’m sorry,” he said so quietly Stephen almost hadn’t heard him.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Stephen replied softly. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I am sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Tony was shaking his head the entire time Stephen was talking. “I know you were just trying to help. I’ve just...never woken up from a nightmare with someone next to me before.”

The lump in his throat wouldn’t go away no matter how many times Stephen swallowed.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No,” Tony said immediately. His voice was noticeably unsteady, even with just the one word response. He took a deep breath and tried to let it out slowly, but it stuttered in his chest. “Please don’t leave me. I just can’t...fuck...I can’t explain it...”

Tony’s hands covered his face while he tried desperately to calm himself down.

“You don’t have to explain anything.” Stephen was shocked at how calm his own voice was. “I know that this isn’t easy. You don’t have to say anything, okay?” Tony looked up at him with glassy eyes that were doing their very best to focus on the man next to him. “I’m going to lay back down. I’m going to be right here, or wherever you want me to be, for as long as you want me to.”

There was no way for Tony to ever put into words the feeling that swept over him at that moment. Relief wasn’t strong enough. Gratitude was just a weak synonym.

Talking about what he had been through had never been easy for Tony. Not with Rhodey, Pepper, his therapist. No one. He had a very hard time articulating the flashbacks he had and the feelings associated with them, and not being able to explain what was happening to him just made it all worse.

Stephen didn’t understand perfectly. Tony knew that. But he understood enough to know Tony didn’t want to sit up all night hashing out the details of the nightmare he had just had that brought him right back to that cave in Afghanistan.

The haze that had been consuming him since he had retreated to his lab was draining the last of Tony’s energy. It was a new feeling for him to want to go back into bed after waking so suddenly. He would usually go straight to his lab and work through the night. But now, he wanted to be back under the covers with Stephen.

So that’s what he did.

Tony settled back into his prior spot, but not quite as close to Stephen. The sorcerer had expected that. As much as he wanted to wrap Tony in his arms and hold him tight enough to put him back together, he knew that’s not what the other man wanted or needed. Stephen laid on his left side, facing Tony, and smiled warmly at him as he watched the brunette fight to keep his eyes open.

“You’re safe,” Stephen whispered. “You’re okay, Tony.”

When his eyes finally closed, the last of his tears slipped through his eyelids and down his cheeks to settle on the pillowcase under his head.

* * *

It wasn’t a surprise to Stephen when he woke up alone the next morning. He had finally fallen asleep about two hours after Tony’s breathing had evened out, wanting to ensure he was sleeping soundly.

Stephen took his time getting out of bed. It was later in the morning than he usually slept. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers before opening the door to the bedroom and being immediately greeted by the sounds of Tony and Harley talking in the kitchen.

Just another morning at Stark Tower.

A smile found its way on to his face as Stephen walked into the room. Harley greeted him warmly before eating the last of his bacon.

“Morning, Doc,” Tony said, his smile genuine. “Sorry we didn’t wait for you. I thought the smell of bacon cooking would wake you up sooner.”

“No worries, as long as there’s some left for me.”

Tony slid a plate full of bacon and an impressive looking omelet across the island to the empty seat next to Harley. “Like you even had to ask.”

A completely normal day followed. Stephen left shortly after breakfast to attend to a few things at the Sanctum. It took longer than it usually did, because his mind kept wandering back to Tony and whether or not they should talk about what happened last night.

It was clear enough that Tony didn’t want to get into the details of what the nightmare had been about. And that was fine. But Stephen knew that pretending Tony was okay wasn’t the answer, because he wasn’t.

After finishing enough of what he needed to do to be satisfied, Stephen headed back to the penthouse once he had checked in with Tony and the other man reported that he was also calling it quits for the day.

Harley had vacated the premises prior to Stephen’s arrival in order to meet Peter and Ned for a concert in the park. Stephen found Tony in the living room, sitting on the couch and tapping away at his tablet.

“Not quite so done with work after all?”

Brown eyes immediately looked up at him. Tony smiled as he clicked the tablet off and set it aside. “I was just keeping myself busy until the evening’s entertainment arrived.”

His voice had no hint of suggestiveness to it. No flirty tone. His smile reached his eyes, but they were clearly tired. Tony’s usual energized personality just wasn’t there.

And in that moment, Stephen decided he was going to let any conversation about last night be Tony’s call.

“Damn. I left my balloons and air tank at the Sanctum.”

The kiss that greeted him when he joined Tony on the couch sent warmth throughout his body. Stephen sighed into it, relishing in the feel of the soft lips against his.

“How was your day?” Tony asked when they parted.

Stephen shrugged. “Fine. Better now.”

“Sap,” Tony teased, but his smile betrayed him.

The next few hours were more quiet than their time together usually was. Stephen could feel the exhaustion radiating off Tony. He realized that the other man hadn’t fallen back asleep last night so much as he had passed out.

It was becoming more and more obvious that Tony was still affected as the afternoon turned to the evening. He responded to everything, but it was slightly delayed and lacking his usual spark. Tony made them pasta for dinner, but Stephen noted that he barely ate anything. He was trying to remember if he had even seen Tony eat anything at breakfast when the brunette caught him staring.

“Sorry,” Stephen mumbled before the other man could pose an inquiry.

For a second, Tony looked like he was going to follow up, but then decided not to.

After dinner they went back into the living room, settling onto the couch to watch tv. Stephen was able to keep most of his attention on Tony, however, who was looking at the tv, but not exactly watching the movie that was playing. It was obvious his mind was elsewhere.

When Harley texted that he had arrived safely at Peter’s for the night, Tony let out a sigh without meaning to. Stephen smiled automatically. Tony was about to ask if Stephen would spend the night again, but the taller man beat him to it by reaching over carefully to nudge Tony’s shoulder.

“Let’s go to bed,” he suggested. Stephen received a tired smile and a nod in response.

The emotions flashing across Tony’s face as they laid in bed facing each other tugged at Stephen’s heart. He could see the anxiety building and could venture a guess as to why it was there.

“I love you,” Stephen said. His trembling fingers stroked through Tony’s soft hair before falling back to the mattress between them. “I love you so much, Tony.”

Tony swallowed hard and managed to fight back the tears stinging his eyes. “I love you too,” he whispered. “And I...I’m really glad you’re here with me.”

Several hours of rest came for both of them. Stephen drifted in and out of sleep, sure to check on Tony every time he woke from his own slumber. On one occasion, Tony was looking back at him. When their eyes met, he smiled sleepily before shifting closer to Stephen, pulling at his shirt and snuggling against his warm chest.

As morning came, Stephen was aware of the fact that Tony was awake based on his breathing, even though he couldn’t see the other man’s face, which was still tucked against his own body. But Stephen didn’t mind. He ran his hands up and down Tony’s back slowly, perfectly content to lay their quietly in Tony’s warm bed for as long as they possibly could.

Which was less than a half an hour, before Tony shifted away from Stephen enough to be able to look at him.

“I know we can’t pretend the other night didn’t happen.”

“We can if that’s what you want.”

Tony sighed. “It’s not. I just...” he pushed himself up against the headboard, and Stephen followed suit, feeling that this was more of a sitting up in bed conversation. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Stephen frowned at that. “What? I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me at all.”

“I remember shoving you away. And telling you to leave me alone. But I don’t really remember much else. I usually don’t. I kind of...zone out, I guess.”

“You pushed my hand away,” Stephen replied. “Because I scared you. I’m so sorry, Tony. I shouldn’t have woken you up like that.”

“It sounds like I’m the one who woke you up.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. Stephen was trying to figure out if Tony wanted to talk about it or not. He had initiated the start of the conversation, but Stephen knew that didn’t mean he wanted to go any further.

“I’m not good at this,” Tony finally said. “But I want to be. I just don’t know how to handle it well. I never have.”

“It’s not easy. There really isn’t a right way to do it. Whatever helps you is what you should do.”

Tony’s eyes locked onto Stephen. “You help me. I need you to know that. I just...get stuck. You have no idea how sorry I am that I snapped at you like that. And then I just pretended everything was fine the next day.”

“I don’t want you to be sorry,” Stephen responded. “You’re not doing anything wrong. I don’t want to do anything wrong either. So is it...is it okay if I ask you some questions?” Tony blinked. “Not about the nightmare itself. I know you don’t want to talk about that.”

“You can ask me anything you want, Stephen.”

“What do you want me to do when this happens again?” Anxiety flashed across Tony’s face immediately. “Okay. That was too broad. Scratch that. You want me to stay, right?”

Tony swallowed. “Yeah.”

“But not touch you.”

“I don’t...I don’t know. I guess not. But it’s not because I don’t want you to. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You don’t have to. I just don’t want to do anything to make it harder for you. I know it’s tough to communicate when things like that happen, so I’m trying to figure it out now.”

“I wish I could just tell you what I want, but I don’t know. And it’s not fair to you. This isn’t fair that you have to deal with this, that you have to plan out how to act around me.”

Stephen shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.” He moved slightly so he could put his hand on Tony’s knee under the covers. “I know this isn’t fun to talk about. I know that you don’t have all the answers, and that’s fine. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”

“I want to tell you. Everything. But I don’t know how.”

Stephen really wished he knew how to make Tony feel better. “You know that this doesn’t change how I feel about you, right?” Tony chewed his lip and looked down the blanket around them. “Tony."

“It might not have yet, but it will.”

“No, it won’t,” Stephen said firmly. He squeezed Tony’s knee until he looked back up at him. “I can’t love this away for you. I would do anything to help you with this, but I know that’s not how it works. It still doesn’t change how I feel about you, and it never will. I need you to believe that.”

Tony looked at Stephen for a long time. His gray eyes didn’t waver. Eventually, Tony realized that he really didn’t have any reason to be lying.

“I do. You’re very convincing, Doc.”

Stephen breathed a short laugh. “Good, because it’s true. I love you, and you’re not getting rid of me any time soon.”

Tony smiled. “Promise?”

“I promise,” Stephen agreed as he leaned in to kiss Tony sweetly.

Tony’s hand found the back of Stephen’s neck, his fingers stretching up into his hair. “I’m trying,” he said quietly against Stephen’s lips.

“I know you are. I know it’s hard. But I’ll love you no matter what.”


	14. Chapter 14

“Attorney Finlay wants to make a plea bargain.”

Harley was in the living room with Tony, Peter and Stephen when they got the call from Jake. The prosecutor explained he had spoken with Jess already, but she was due in a meeting and couldn’t be on this call. Jake didn’t want to wait to speak to Harley so he would have time to consider everything, and Jess gave the okay to have the conversation without her and would talk with Harley later.

“Okay,” Harley said slowly. “So what exactly does that mean?”

“It means he doesn’t want to have a trial. He wants to plead guilty instead, and resolve the case,” Jake explained. “He wants to plea to time served.”

“What? It’s barely been two months!” Tony exclaimed. He shook his head and looked at Harley. “Sorry. I just...that seems a little light.”

“I don’t disagree with you, Mr. Stark,” Jake replied. “But there’s a bit more to it than that. He wants something that’s called a split sentence. A two year prison sentence, with the credit for the time he’s already been held, but suspended for two years. He would be on probation. If he violated his probation, or was arrested for any new offenses, he would automatically be sent to prison for the remaining balance of the two year sentence.”

Harley frowned at the phone. “So he would be out on parole?”

“Kind of. Parole is a bit different, but it’s the same basic idea. But the main part, and Jess will go over this with you in more detail, is that he would basically be agreeing to terminate his parental rights.”

“He would?” Harley asked, looking at Tony hopefully. “I thought the criminal courts can’t make probate orders?”

“They can’t. But, if we agree to the split sentence, he would agree to the terms of probation. Which would be drug testing, substance abuse treatment, and that he stays away and has no contact with you until you’re eighteen, at which point you would have to apply for a restraining order on your own because you’d legally be an adult. If he is agreeing to a no contact order, the probate court wouldn’t be able to allow him to have custody of you, so he would effectively be vacating his rights.”

“And I would get to stay here? In New York?”

“Yes. You would.”

“And I don’t have to testify again?”

“No. You would have to come back to Tennessee for the final probate hearing, but you wouldn’t have to be in the courtroom for your dad’s plea. We would set it up for the same day so you could be there if you wanted, but that’s totally your decision.”

Harley took a deep breath. “Okay. What do you think?”

“I’ll be honest with you. I meant it when I said I agreed with Mr. Stark that this was a light sentence. But there are a lot of factors to take into consideration. If this were to go to trial, you would have to testify again, and I know you don’t want that. There’s also no guarantee we would win. It’s a strong case for sure, but I can’t promise what a jury would determine. There’s no way to know for sure."

“So he could just get away with it and not have to be on probation or anything.”

“Correct. And he could then fight the probate case, which I know is your main concern.” Jake paused for a second. “I can’t give you advice. I’m not allowed to. Jess will handle that. All I can do is give you as much information as I can for you to make an informed decision. But at this point, with all that’s going on, I am letting it be your decision. It doesn’t always work this way, it’s usually the government that makes an offer. But we know what your dad is willing to accept. So I’m leaving it up to you.”

Harley swallowed. “How long do I have to decide?”

“His next court date is August 27th. Just under a month from now. The probate court is available to hear your case that same day. Attorney Finlay has agreed to make this a binding offer if he has an answer in the next forty-eight hours. That’s why I didn’t want to wait to speak with you. If it’s agreed to, your dad and his attorney will sign the paperwork, and it’ll be made official in front of the judge. But he won’t be able to back out.”

“Okay,” Harley replied flatly.

“Do you have any questions?” Jake asked.

“I don’t think so."

After assurances from Jake that he would be in touch with them and Jess, the call ended.

Heavy silence fell on the room.

Peter looked between everyone nervously. Stephen was about to excuse himself to let them talk when Harley spoke up.

“You don’t want me to do it,” he said, looking at Tony.

The billionaire shook his head. “That’s not true. I think he should have to be in prison for the rest of his life, sure. But that doesn’t mean I want you to have to go through anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“I want to stay here,” Harley said, almost frantically. “That’s all I care about. If he’s going to agree to that, then that’s what I want. I don’t care if he’s in jail or not. I know I’m safe here with you. I just want this to be over.”

“I know you do,” Tony said gently. “So do I. I just want you to think about it, okay? I know this has been really hard, and you’re right to want it to end. I just want you to be sure.”

It seemed as if everything else sort of just fell away. Tony and Harley were sitting on the couch, with Peter and Stephen in the chairs on the side of the room. But the pair on the couch were only focused on each other, so Stephen and Peter stayed still so as not to disturb anything.

“I’m sure that he never cared about me,” Harley said, his voice shaking with emotion. “And I don’t know why. I don’t know what I did.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Tony tried to assure him. “That’s about him, it’s not about you.”

“I must have done something,” Harley argued. “No one would treat their kid like that unless-”

“My dad used to hand me hot pieces of metal,” Tony said, interrupting the teenager. All of the air seemed to be sucked out of the room after that statement. “He would let me help him in his shop, but when I annoyed him, or he just felt like it, that’s what he would do. He would have me stand next to him and would hand me something hot, or sharp, and make me hold it while he worked.”

Tony made sure his eyes stayed on Harley’s. “He thought he was teaching me a lesson, making me tougher, I guess. He would really only talk to me when he was criticizing me. I realized after he died that all of the good memories I had were staged for magazines and reporters. He only showed interest in me when it made for a good photo opportunity.”

Harley wanted to say something, but there was no way he was going to be able to make any words come out at the moment. Tony, however, kept going.

“It took most of my life for me to understand that it wasn’t about me. I didn’t do anything wrong. It still hurts like hell, but I know it wasn’t my fault. My dad never wanted me. I was a compromise he made to keep my mom happy. He loved her, at least, and that has to be enough.”

It took several long moments for Harley to be able to respond. “So you just got over it?” he asked, his voice faint.

Tony shook his head. “Not exactly. But I did forgive him.”

“How?”

“I don’t really know. I guess I finally realized that he was who he was, and he did the best he could with that,” Tony said with a small shrug. “But you and I aren’t in the same position. My dad was a saint compared to yours. I’m not saying you have to forgive him, ever, unless that’s what you want. What I am saying is that you can’t hold yourself accountable for his actions. You’ve been through enough.”

Harley nodded as he let his eyes fall down to his hands. “What if I want to say yes to the plea? Are you okay with that? With me staying here?”

“Harley, look at me.” After a second, Harley lifted his eyes. “I want you here with me. I want this to be over for you, however you want it to be. There’s no reality where I feel any differently. I would burn this entire city down for you.”

After wiping at his eyes, Harley sniffed. “You would definitely go to jail if you did that.”

Tony smiled and pulled Harley into a tight hug. “Stephen would wizard me out in no time.”

Said sorcerer wished he could chime in and agree to further lighten the mood, but his lungs weren’t cooperating with that thought.

About an hour later, Harley talked with Jess about what a plea deal would entail. She explained that it would expedite the proceedings by several months and ensure that it would go the way they wanted it to. Jess suggested they have a conference call with Jake tomorrow afternoon after Harley had some time to think everything over, and when that was agreed upon, they hung up.

The rest of the day was very quiet. Harley was deep in thought for the most part, even though the other three knew he had already made up his mind. But no one pressed him on anything.

Pizza was delivered for dinner, and that brought some energy into the penthouse for an hour or so. After a few hours of watching The Office on Netflix, Tony declared they should all try and get some sleep, even though he knew Peter and Harley were just going to go into Harley’s room and keep watching tv.

Stephen had been almost as quiet as Harley throughout the day. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Tony had said about his father in order to help Harley process his own situation.

Once they were in Tony’s bedroom, the billionaire went over and sat on his bed, rubbing his hands over his face. Stephen stood by the now closed door, staring in near awe at the other man.

When Tony noticed, he frowned. “Are you okay?”

“You are nothing short of astonishing.”

“Oh,” Tony said lamely. “Is there a specific reason, or?”

Stephen breathed a short laugh as he crossed the room to stand in front of Tony. The man on the bed parted his legs so Stephen could move between them. He reached a shaking hand out to card his fingers through the chestnut locks he couldn’t seem to get enough of. Tony looked up at him expectantly, not even really realizing that he had put his own hands on Stephen’s hips.

“What you said to Harley, about your dad,” Stephen replied softly. His hand moved from Tony’s hair to cup his neck under his jaw. “You’re just...god, you love that kid so much. He’s so lucky.”

Tony shook his head slightly, but smiled. “I’m pretty sure I’m the lucky one. I have him, and Peter, and you.”

Stephen swept his thumb over Tony’s cheek. “You deserved so much more, so much better than what he gave you.”

“It was a long time ago. Somehow, I ended up here. With you. That’s all that matters to me.”

The kiss that Stephen initiated was a bit awkward, what with their already existent height difference exacerbated by Tony sitting on the bed, but neither of them complained.

Before Stephen’s back was put under too much strain, Tony started moving backwards on the mattress, pulling Stephen forward with him. The taller man climbed onto the bed, hovering over Tony as they kept kissing slowly. But Tony was having none of it. He arched up and tugged at Stephen until they were pressed together completely.

Stephen kissed Tony like this was the only time he was ever going to be able to. Every part of the other man’s mouth that could be reached by his tongue was mapped out thoroughly. He was spurred on by the feeling of Tony’s hands in his hair and his leg wrapping around his hip.

It felt like slow motion and fast forward happening all at once. Their mouths stayed connected as much as possible while they rid each other of their clothes. But as soon as he had Tony naked, Stephen started trailing his lips downward, kissing every inch of Tony’s skin as he went.

The breathy pants above him turned to all out moans as Stephen sucked Tony down. He went slowly but steadily, taking his time and savoring the weight of Tony on his tongue.

“Stephen,” Tony whined. “I need you. Please, baby, I need you.”

As soon as Stephen pulled back, Tony propped himself up and rolled over to his side to retrieve the bottle of lube. Stephen settled in behind him, running his hand up and down Tony’s thigh while he waited.

Kisses were littered across Tony’s neck and shoulders while Stephen prepped him. He could feel the strength from Stephen’s body behind him, holding him tightly and keeping him steady. Then Stephen was taking Tony’s right leg and gently putting it over his own before pushing into his body.

The breath Tony let out turned into a moan as Stephen bottomed out. His right hand reached behind him to hold onto Stephen’s neck while his left flew down to his throbbing erection to stroke himself in time with Stephen’s controlled thrusts.

“I love you,” Stephen swore against Tony’s shoulder. “I love you more than anything.”

There wasn’t a hint of resistance from Tony’s body as Stephen moved in and out of him. They fit together perfectly.

“Don’t stop, Stephen,” Tony panted. “I love you. God I love you.”

Tony’s release came when Stephen drove straight into his prostate. He spilled into his own hand, hips still jerking forward through his orgasm. He craned his neck and kissed Stephen dirtily, only pulling away to moan into his mouth.

“Come inside me, baby,” he keened.

Stephen wouldn’t have been able to stop it if he had tried.

He clung to Tony, almost painfully so. Their breathing slowly began to even out, and he chill of the air conditioning began to settle in against their heated skin. Before either of them got too uncomfortable, Stephen pulled out of Tony, but kept his arms securely around him for several minutes.

Once they trusted their legs enough to carry them, they made their way into the bathroom to get cleaned up in the shower. Tony immediately noticed how badly Stephen’s hands were shaking once they were under the water.

“Are you okay?” he asked, cradling the fragile extremities in his own hands very carefully.

“I’m fine,” Stephen promised. “Just comes with the exertion.”

Tony shook his head as he looked down at Stephen’s hands. “It doesn’t have to. I can do it myself, I don’t want you to-”

“I want to,” Stephen said, curling his fingers around Tony’s to emphasize his point. “It doesn’t cause me all that much pain. No more than getting dressed does. And I...like it.”

“I like it too,” Tony said with a warm smile that bordered on a smirk. He tried to blink the water out of his eyes, but was unsuccessful. “Just promise me that you won’t if it hurts you, okay?”

“I promise,” Stephen agreed.

He pulled Tony to him and they stood there together under the warm water, letting it wash them clean.

Their hair was still damp when they climbed back into bed together. Their legs intertwined almost on their own accord as they lay there, gazing at one another like lovesick teenagers.

“When did you forgive him?”

It took Tony a second to realize what Stephen meant. “I don’t know when exactly it happened. But one day I found some of his old stuff Fury had given me. It didn’t make me angry, or sad, or anything, really. I watched this reel of film he had made for the Expo, and at the end he left a message for me. About changing the world, and how I was his greatest creation. And it just clicked, I guess. That he didn’t have room in his life to love anything or anyone other than my mom and his work. And I just...accepted it.” Tony smiled sadly. “He tried to be good to her, he really did. So if that’s all he could manage, that’s fine with me. I’m glad it wasn’t the other way around.”

Stephen shook his head slowly. “Remember when I said you were astonishing? That was an extreme understatement.”

Tony laughed as he shuffled closer and pressed his lips to Stephen’s. “I’m crazy about you,” he murmured.

“Well, you certainly are crazy,” Stephen teased. “But it’s very much reciprocated. I love you, Tony,” he whispered as he gathered the sleepy genius into his arms.

“I love you too,” Tony sighed happily.

They drifted off to sleep, seemingly perfectly content.

But Tony’s mind had made other plans for him that night.

Luckily, the nightmares were few and far between for him, thanks to the right combination of medications and Stephen’s consistent presence. The usual way Tony handled having a nightmare was to get up and go into his lab. Especially when it was a particularly bad one.

Getting out of bed was necessary whenever he had a nightmare that was bad enough to wake him up. Sometimes he would sleep through them and the memory would be faded as soon as he opened his eyes. But when he woke up in the middle of the night because of one, he had to get up and walk it off. Get a drink of water. Do something to ease his mind. Then he would return to bed, and maybe get a few more hours of sleep. Maybe not. But he would go back to Stephen, who always waited patiently and quietly.

But that all was about to change.

A violent nightmare woke him up shortly after midnight.

Stephen woke up several minutes before Tony had. This was always the worst part for him, having to lay there and watch him suffer until he was able to wake himself up.

When Tony finally did, he didn’t get up and leave the room.

It took a minute or so for him to catch his breath, and once he was able to, he squeezed his eyes shut and shuffled across the bed closer to Stephen.

The taller man froze for a second. He had been expecting Tony to get out of bed, not huddle against him.

But that’s what he did. Tony wrapped his arm around Stephen’s waist and drew himself closer. He shifted until he was able to slot his left leg between Stephen’s and tuck his head into the crook of Stephen’s neck. He took a deep breath, letting it out as a sigh as he settled against the warmth of his boyfriend.

Stephen’s arms were around Tony instantly. He held him tightly, pressing his lips to the top of Tony’s head as he felt the other man’s breathing start to deepen.

They both slept through the rest of the night peacefully.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I meant to put this at the beginning of the last chapter too, but forgot. Again, a lot of the legal stuff has been modified for time purposes and to fit into the story. Unfortunately, concessions like this do happen a lot in criminal cases, which I can say from experience as that's the type of law I practice. Cases with kids are always the hardest, especially when it involves a parent hurting them. Sometimes cases are even dismissed because the government does not want to subject a child to testifying in court against a parent and can't go forward without them.
> 
> I've expedited the process here as much as I could to keep the focus on Harley and Tony's relationship. This chapter touches upon additional themes of child abuse, and while it's not discussed in any great detail, please be mindful if that is triggering; it's obviously upsetting to anyone, regardless of personal experiences. Child abuse just sucks in general.
> 
> I hope you're all staying safe and healthy! Enjoy!

“How long have you been up?”

The sudden voice breaking the silence didn’t startle Tony. He heard Stephen beginning to stir in the bed behind him a few minutes ago, but he had peering out through the small crack in the curtains that they hadn’t been able to get to close completely last night.

Almost exactly 2 months later, and he was back in the same hotel room in Tennessee.

Except Stephen was here this time.

Tony turned and looked over at him. The brunette was sitting on the bench in front of the window, feet up, arms wrapped around his knees. The sorcerer had pushed himself up against the headboard, resting back on the fluffy pillows behind him.

“I’m not sure,” Tony admitted. “The sun wasn’t up yet, so a couple hours I guess. I didn’t want to wake you up. I couldn’t sit still.”

“It’s all going to be over soon.”

Tony nodded slowly. “I know. I’m just restless.”

Stephen glanced at the clock next to their bed. They still had plenty of time before they needed to leave for the courthouse.

No need to rush.

So he climbed out of bed and went over to Tony. The bench was far too small for both of them to fit on, but Stephen was happy to stand. He wrapped his arms around Tony’s shoulders and rested his chin on the top of Tony’s head, pulling the shorter man’s back flush with his chest.

Tony put his hands on Stephen’s arms and took a deep breath. He let his head fall back against Stephen and did his very best to focus on the feeling of being close to him.

“You’re going to bail me out if I punch that attorney in the face, right?”

Stephen breathed a laugh. “Assuming I don’t land myself in there with you.”

It wasn’t long before they heard Peter and Harley emerge from their own room and go into the living room. Tony and Stephen joined them, and were about to inquire as to Happy’s whereabouts when he returned with breakfast in hand.

“You didn’t have to do that Hap,” Tony said. “Thank you.”

“I couldn’t risk you screwing up my coffee again.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “How is it my fault that your coffee order takes longer to say than it does to recite the periodic table?”

“We’ve been through this,” Happy said, holding up his hands. “I’m not going to defend myself to you. I figured you of all people would understand.”

“It’s not even coffee anymore with everything you put in it,” Tony quipped.

The banter between Happy and Tony kept the mood light while they ate breakfast. But once it was time to head to the courthouse, it was as if a black cloud was following them around.

Harley had decided not to be present for his dad’s plea. He would have had the ability to give an impact statement to the judge and be in the courtroom for it, but none of that appealed to him in the slightest. So at Jake’s suggestion, they got to the courthouse for eleven that morning, expecting the criminal case to be completed then and the probate hearing scheduled for noon.

Jake came and found them about twenty minutes after they had arrived. He explained that everything went smoothly and the case was now over with. Jeff Keener was placed on probation with a suspended sentence, and could have absolutely no contact with Harley until he was eighteen, at which time Harley would decide if he wanted to file a new restraining order.

“Is he going to be at the probate hearing?” Harley asked Jess.

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. His attorney told me he would represent him at the hearing, but was planning to have all of the paperwork signed prior to today so that he wouldn’t have to appear.”

Harley didn’t respond. He didn’t really know how to. Part of him had wanted to see his dad one more time, even if it was just in the courtroom. But he mostly wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible and knew if his dad was there, it would only allow for the potential of something happening.

Which it did. Just not at the hearing.

Judge Marotta presided once again. He heard from Jess, who explained what had happened in the criminal case, and where they were hoping to go from here. The Judge then turned to Harley.

“Mr. Keener, do you wish to proceed with the termination of your father, Jeffrey Keener’s, parental rights?”

Harley swallowed. “Yes, your honor.”

“It’s my understanding Jeffrey Keener has assented to the motion and agreed to terms consistent with it in the criminal case. Is that correct Attorney Finlay?”

“It is, Judge.”

John Finlay looked like he wanted to be anywhere else than in the courtroom right now. As if he couldn’t be bothered to answer a few simple questions.

“Very well,” Judge Marotta replied. “Full custody of Harley Keener is permanently transferred to the State of New York with the intentions of the proceedings there allowing for the adoption of Harley Keener by Anthony Stark. Attorney Diaz?”

“That is correct, your honor,” Jess replied from her spot next to Harley. “Typically there is a final assessment by Social Services prior to the formalization of the adoption. That is scheduled for next week. I expect to have the process completed within the next ten days.”

“Good to hear. Thank you for your hard work on this, and for coming to see us down here. Mr. Keener,” Judge Marotta said, turning back to Harley. “Is all of this still your decision?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“Has anyone forced you, threatened you, or promised you anything to get you to seek this?”

Harley shook his head. “No, your honor.”

Judge Marotta finished signing the paperwork and handed it back to the clerk. “I’m happy to say that your case is now under the jurisdiction of the State of New York. Good luck, Harley.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The next thing he knew, he was standing in the hallway outside the courtroom with Happy, Peter and Stephen. They were waiting for Tony to finish signing the paperwork with Jess so she could file it with the clerk’s office before they went back to New York. Jess had made her own travel arrangements to go back, as she had family she was going to visit before returning to the city. So Tony was making his way on his own back to the group when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Bad timing was all it was, really.

Jeff Keener was coming down the hallway right towards him after being released and signing his conditions of probation. Tony hadn’t recognized him at first. He was much taller than Tony had thought, having only seen him sitting at the defense table in the courtroom. He had to have been at least six foot four and on the heavy side.

Tony felt his stomach turn at the thought of him being able to so easily overpower and hurt Harley.

In all honesty, Tony’s plan was to just walk by him to where he could see Stephen and the others by the front door. But then Jeff was speaking, to him, and Tony couldn’t move.

“Happy you got what you wanted, Stark?”

“Fuck you,” Tony spat before he could stop himself.

Harley saw what was happening down the hallway. He didn’t have enough air in his lungs to say anything, so he just tugged on Stephen’s arm until he looked up and saw it as well.

“Oh no,” Peter thought out loud.

“It’s alright,” Stephen said calmly. “Tony will just walk away.”

He ignored the doubtful look Happy gave him.

Jeff laughed. “Getting all bent out of shape over nothing.”

“Nothing?” Tony demanded. “You neglected him. You beat him. You made him buy and sell drugs for you. That’s not nothing, you son of a bitch.”

“I was building character. That kid is soft, he needed to be toughened up.”

“He didn’t need to be tough, he needed to be protected!” Tony’s voice was now loud enough for Harley and company to have heard it at the other end of the hall. “He needed to be safe, to be taken care of.”

Jeff scoffed. “I’m sure you’re going to be taking great care of him, won’t you?”

The tone associated with that question sent a chill through Tony. “Yeah. I will.”

“It’s just doesn’t make sense to me. You’re the richest guy in the world, and yet you went through all this for a fuck toy.”

Jeff had walked passed Tony by the time it registered what he had said. “What?” was all Tony could manage.

The brief moment of relief everyone had felt at seeing the interaction end was quickly gone when they saw Tony turn around to continue talking to Jeff. They couldn’t hear what was being said anymore, but Stephen could tell even from the back of Tony’s head that it wasn’t good.

“That’s what you want him for,” Jeff said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “A boy toy to keep you company. Right?”

Tony’s vision swam. He knew his voice wasn’t going to stay steady, but he didn’t care. “That’s what you think? You think I’m going to...that I have been...” He couldn’t finish the thought. “And you agreed to let your son go with me?”

Jeff shrugged. “Not my problem anymore. Do whatever you want to him. Kid deserves it.”

Instead of turning back around, Tony went straight across the hall and into the bathroom.

Stephen watched this happen before turning to Happy. “Stay with them. We’ll meet you guys in the car, okay?”

“What just happened?” Harley asked, panic edging into his voice.

“I don’t know. But I’m going to check on Tony. Just go outside with Happy. We’ll be right out.”

Harley wanted to protest, but Peter putting an arm around his shoulder and leading him away with Happy stopped him. He glanced back at Stephen, who gave the most reassuring smile he could. He waited until they were out the door and around the corner before all but running down the hall to Tony.

He was greeted by the sounds of the other man emptying his stomach coming from the first stall.

A quick flick of his wrist locked the door once he realized there was no one else present. He slowly opened the stall door to reveal Tony kneeling on the floor, his back heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

“Hey,” Stephen said softly, but Tony jumped at the words. Stephen put his hands firmly on Tony’s shoulders. “It's just me, honey. Breathe, Tony. Try to take a deep breath.”

Instead, Tony lost the last of what was in his stomach.

He all but collapsed backwards against Stephen. The taller man easily supported his weight while Tony finally got his breathing under control. Stephen then helped him to his feet and over to the sink, where Tony covered his face in handfuls of water several times before accepting the paper towel Stephen was holding out to him.

Tony braced his hands on the counter, leaning forward and continuing to take deep breaths. Stephen stayed close to his side, but didn’t reach out to him for the time being.

When Tony opened his eyes, he saw a travel size bottle of mouth wash next to his left hand. He looked up at Stephen in the mirror.

“Magic? Or do you just carry mouthwash around with you?”

“I’m not allowed to reveal my secrets.”

Tony let out a choked laugh. He used the entire bottle to rinse his mouth before turning around to face Stephen. He leaned back against the sink, still feeling shaky.

“Are you alright?” Stephen asked, even though he knew it was a stupid question.

“He said...” Tony’s eyes filled with tears as soon as he tried to start. “He thinks the reason I want Harley is to...”

He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. The look of horror that spread onto Stephen’s face let him know the other man had put it together. There wasn’t much else that would have elicited such an extreme response from Tony like that.

“Jesus Christ.”

“Stephen, I would never. That’s not why I want him to live with me, I swear to god. I’ve never even thought about doing anything like that to him-”

“Tony, stop,” Stephen pleaded. He pulled Tony against him almost roughly. “I know that. Fuck. I know you’re not capable of doing that. That never even crossed my mind.”

Trembling hands grasped onto Stephen’s back as Tony buried his face against his neck. He held Tony as tightly as he could without affecting his ability to take a deep breath.

“Could you hear any of what he said?” Tony asked after a few minutes.

“No,” Stephen replied. “We could hear part of what you said, about Harley needing to be safe, but nothing other than that. I had Happy take them out to the car.”

Tony let out a shaky breath before pulling back and looking up at Stephen. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to lose it like this, but when he fucking said that...”

Stephen quieted Tony by kissing his forehead and running his hands through his hair. “You should have punched him.”

Tony’s laugh was tired, but at least it was there. “I know. Missed my chance.”

Reluctantly they separated. Tony turned back to the mirror and sighed. Before he could comment, Stephen made a suggestion.

“Close your eyes.”

Tony frowned, but obeyed. He guessed Stephen had waved a hand in front of his face due to the change in light coming through his eyelids. When he opened them, he looked fine. No more red rimmed puffy eyes. The paleness was gone, along with the dark circles under his eyes.

He smiled at Stephen’s reflection. “I knew it. You can use magic to make yourself more handsome.”

Stephen matched Tony’s smile and rested his chin on his shoulder. “I never denied it.”

It took a bit of maneuvering to dodge the questions Harley fired off once they made their way out to the car.

“Are you okay? What the hell happened? What were you saying? Isn’t that illegal? How can he talk to-”

“Woah woah woah,” Tony stopped him, holding a hand up. “Take it easy. I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

“What happened?” Harley asked again as if Tony hadn’t even spoken.

“I told him to fuck off. He said relatively the same,” Tony answered simply.

It was technically the truth. Just not all of it.

“How can he even-”

“Hey,” Tony interrupted again, putting his hands on Harley’s shoulders. “It’s not anything you have to worry about, okay? It’s over. This is all over. That’s all that matters.”

“You’re not a very good liar,” Harley muttered.

“Nonsense. I’m an excellent liar.” Harley didn’t return Tony’s smirk. “But I’m not lying. I would never lie to you.”

Before Harley could protest further, Happy decided to jump in to try and steer them elsewhere. “We should get moving if we want to grab some lunch before our plane leaves.”

“Great thinking, Hap,” Tony said, releasing Harley. The teenager gave him an unimpressed look, but ultimately sighed in defeat.

They found a restaurant not far from the courthouse that had patio seating, allowing them to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air before getting on a plane for the rest of the day. Initially, Harley was still showing concern over the altercation between his dad and Tony, but once he let himself remember that this was now over, he was able to steer his mind away from it.

For a little while, at least.

Harley and Stephen were the first onto the plane. Tony was helping Happy load their bags, while Peter was making a quick phone call to May letting her know they were on their way back.

“What did my dad say to Mr. Stark?” Harley asked, seizing the opportunity that he currently had with Tony not being present.

Stephen froze in his seat, but he should have expected it. “I don’t know,” he replied, which was technically the truth. Tony hadn’t told him exactly what Jeff Keener had said, he had just deduced it on his own.

Harley huffed. “It was obviously something bad for Mr. Stark to have been that upset.”

“I don’t know what he said,” Stephen repeated. “Tony was just...” he trailed off, not wanting to lie to the teenager, but knowing he couldn’t tell him the truth either. He sighed while he considered what to say.

“He must have told you what happened.”

Stephen shook his head. “Not exactly, no. But Harley, you need to believe me. It’s not something you need to hear. I know you think you want to, because not knowing something makes you feel like you don’t have any control, and that’s scary.” Harley looked at Stephen as if he had just read his mind. “But you trust Tony, right?”

“Of course.”

“And so do I. It’s not my place to tell you what was or wasn’t said. If Tony wants to, he will. He’ll know a lot better than I would how to do it the right way.”

Harley sighed. “You know he’s not going to tell me.”

Stephen couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. “No, he’s not.”

The teenager regarded the superhero sitting across from him for a second. “You guys are good together,” he said, catching Stephen off guard at first. “You’re both real pains in the ass.”

There it was.

Stephen laughed. “I can’t really argue with you there.”

The plane ride consisted mostly of playing card games and arguing over who had the best taste in music. Peter was the first to be eliminated from the discussion, and he happily bowed out in the face of Stephen’s extensive knowledge, Tony and Harley’s pure stubbornness, and Happy’s determination to convince everyone that his favorites weren’t, as Tony put it, “boring as fuck.”

Upon returning to New York, Happy drove Peter home while Harley, Tony and Stephen returned to the Tower. They ordered Chinese food for a late dinner, after which Stephen excused himself and headed into Tony’s bedroom under the guise of needing to get some work done when in reality, he just wanted to give the two some time together. He had planned to return to the Sanctum, but Tony shot that down immediately.

Tony had just finished putting away the leftover food when he noticed Harley staring blankly down at the counter from his seat at the island.

“Harley.” Blue eyes looked up at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I just can’t believe it’s finally over.” He took a deep breath. “I know it didn’t really take that long, but it felt like it’s been years since...” Harley didn’t need to elaborate. Tony knew. “Do you think I did the right thing?”

“Yes,” Tony said immediately. “The most important thing is that you’re safe, and you’re happy. I know this was incredibly hard, and it’s not an overnight fix. But it’s at least better, isn’t it?”

Harley couldn’t believe the self consciousness lacing Tony’s voice. “Is being here with you better than being with him? Is that seriously what you’re asking?”

“I guess? No? No, right?”

“You’re an idiot,” Harley determined with a roll of his eyes, although his smirk gave him away. Before Tony could try to argue, he ratted himself out. “I tried to make Doctor Strange tell me what my dad said to you.”

Tony swallowed. “He doesn’t know.”

“Yeah, yeah, he told me that.”

“He really doesn’t,” Tony insisted. “I didn’t tell him. I couldn’t.”

Harley’s smirk faded. “It was that bad?”

“It was...yeah. It was really fucked up,” Tony said softly. “I meant what I said, that I would never lie to you. But please, please don’t make me say it.”

“I trust you,” Harley said once his brain stopped spinning with trying to think of what it could have possibly been. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed. Are you okay? I know you’re a good actor, but you were obviously upset.”

“Pissed off is probably a better way to put it,” Tony muttered. “But yes. I’m fine, I promise. I’m just glad this is over.”

“Me too,” Harley agreed. “Thank you, for everything you’ve done, and everything I’m sure you’ll do.”

Tony smiled. “Don’t get ahead of yourself there, kid.”

Being greeted by the sight of Stephen in his bed, reading, was something Tony could certainly get used to.

The sorcerer put the book to the side when Tony came in, laughing softly at the sight of Tony removing articles of clothing as he walked over to the bed. All that remained were his boxers and t shirt by the time he was crawling under the covers next to Stephen.

“Hi,” Tony said, sleep already lacing his voice.

“Hi,” Stephen replied fondly. “How’s Harley?”

“He’s okay. He told me he tried to get you to tell him what his dad said,” Tony reported.

Stephen blinked. “Yeah, he did. On the plane. I was going to tell you that, but I-”

“Didn’t have a chance. I know, it’s okay. He believes me that it’s better that he doesn’t know. For now, at least.”

A bit of shuffling had to be done, but Tony accomplished his task of cuddling up to Stephen, laying his head on his chest and wrapping an arm around his lean waist.

Stephen started to run his fingers through Tony’s hair automatically. “Are you okay?”

The shorter man nodded the best he could with his head tucked under Stephen’s chin. “I’m okay. Tired, but okay.”

“Try not to get up before the sun again,” Stephen suggested before pressing his lips to Tony’s hair.

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” Tony promised softly.

He kept that promise.


	16. Chapter 16

If Stephen being away in another dimension for the last week hadn’t been enough to cause a full fledged breakdown, the inspection and meeting with Social Services to approve the final adoption would do the trick.

The caseworker, Lynn, was nothing but pleasant, but that didn’t stop Tony from pacing the entire time and chewing his almost nonexistent nails while waiting for some major flaw to be found.

When they sat at the island for the interview portion, Tony had to clasp his hands in his lap to keep from tapping his fingers on the marble.

“Does Harley have access to your lab?” Lynn asked.

“Yes, he does. But I’m usually in there with him. There are protocols in place preventing him from accessing anything he’s not familiar with. He’s used it for video games more than anything else recently.”

The smile that crossed Lynn’s face helped ease Tony’s anxiety slightly. “It’s obvious the Tower is very secure. How does access to the penthouse itself work?”

“Certain people have unrestricted access, but only close friends. Harley has that same access so he can come and go whenever he wants, to any part of the Tower accept the floors designated for Avengers business. Anyone else would have to go through my AI to even get into the elevator in order to get up here.”

Lynn nodded slightly as she took a few notes. “Is there any alcohol in the house?”

“No,” Tony answered, a little too quickly. Lynn looked up at him. “I don’t drink anymore. I haven’t for a while. You can check, wherever you want. I stopped before Harley even got here.”

“I believe you, Mr. Stark,” Lynn replied calmly. “He will be attending Midtown High, is that right?”

“Yeah, he starts next week.”

“He seems very excited about it.”

“He is. It’ll be good for him to be in a school that has a lot more options for math and science classes.”

While Lynn seemed to be focusing on some of the paperwork, Tony slipped into a nervous rant.

“I’m sorry it’s such a mess in here,” he said, referencing Harley’s newly arrived textbooks littered through the kitchen and living room, as well as a combination of his and Tony’s other belongings. “I guess that’s the point of surprise visits. This is how it usually looks, to be honest. I’m not great at organization-”

“Mr. Stark,” Lynn cut him off gently. “I’m not at all concerned about the lived in appearance of the apartment. I’m actually glad to see it this way.”

“Really?”

Lynn nodded. “You have a teenage boy living here, and I can tell. That’s not a bad thing. It doesn’t make you any less of a suitable guardian just because you didn’t clean up from an obvious movie night. And the fact that he leaves his stuff around tells me he’s comfortable here and treats it like his home.” Tony’s heart swelled at that. “But do you know what the most telling thing is about this afternoon has been?”

“No,” Tony admitted.

“You’re nervous,” she said with a smile. “You’re Tony Stark, you’re Iron Man, and you’re very clearly anxious about this whole thing. And that tells me that you care a great deal about Harley because you want him to be here with you.”

“I do,” Tony agreed.

“And he wants to be here. He’s very clear about that,” Lynn said with a laugh. “There’s no reason for the adoption not to be approved. So you can stop being nervous.”

“I appreciate it, but that’s just not my style,” Tony joked.

“Do you have any questions for me?”

Tony thought for a second. “What can I do better? Is there anything you’re concerned about?”

“Your profession is the only thing,” Lynn said carefully. “But I see you’ve provided for the event of your...passing.”

“Yeah,” Tony said with a sigh. “I talked about that with Harley, and May Parker obviously. They don’t know about the full extent of what they would get from my will, but they would be well taken care of.”

“The only other thing I would suggest is perhaps Harley should attend counseling.”

Tony was surprised by that. “Oh,” he said lamely.

“That’s not to say you haven’t been a great support system,” Lynn explained. “But he’s been through a lot. Our office works with fantastic adolescent psychologists. I’m not saying it’s necessary, he seems very well adjusted to everything. But I’m not an expert, so just keep it in mind and reach out if there’s any additional support that’s needed.”

That thought only lingered in Tony’s mind for a few minutes while the rest of the interview was completed.

Soon enough, Harley returned from his own interview and meeting with Jess. The smile that was on his face was contagious.

“They said everything is fine,” Harley reported. “That tomorrow the only thing that needs to happen is signing the paperwork, and it’s official.”

“Yeah, you’ll officially be stuck with me until you’re eighteen.” Tony had barely been able to finish talking before Harley was hugging him tightly. He could feel a shuddering breath leave the teenager. “Hey,” he said softly, wrapping his arms around Harley. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Harley said, nodding against Tony’s shoulder. “Just happy.”

When they stepped back, Tony could see that Harley was indeed very happy. He wiped at his eyes shyly, but the smile never left his face.

* * *

Twenty-four hours later, and it was official.

The hearing itself was relatively quick. It was just a matter of signing paperwork. Harley and Tony had gone by themselves to meet Jess at the courthouse. Stephen was still parts unknown, leaving Tony to hope anxiously that he was alright and would be able to make it back for the small party later that night.

But that was forgotten for the time it took for the adoption to be formalized.

Tony was quite sure no one had ever hugged him as hard as Harley currently was now that everything was all over. When the teenager finally released him, Tony looked at him with a warm smile.

“Can you do something for me now?” he asked.

“Yeah, anything,” Harley said, nodding immediately.

“Start calling me Tony. For the love of god.”

Harley laughed and found that he couldn’t stop. Happiness just seeped through him, and it didn’t feel like it was going to be leaving any time soon.

The rest of the morning was quiet. Tony and Harley grabbed breakfast at a cafe near the Tower, enjoying the warm summer morning and discussing which movies Stephen and Peter still needed to see in order to meet their own standards.

Later in the afternoon, Peter and Harley went shopping with May (at her insistence) to get some food for the party. When Tony had attempted to protest, she had firmly explained to him that he had done enough over the summer for both her nephew and Harley and she would appreciate the chance to do something to help him out. Tony eventually relented, conceding that she would come up with much better ideas than he would, and was sure to slip Harley his credit card before they left the Tower.

Tony was halfway down the hallway to his bedroom when he heard the door behind him open. He turned to see Stephen enter, still in his robes. The sorcerer crossed to him in record time, explaining himself the whole way.

“I’m so sorry, Tony,” he started. “How did everything go? I tried, I swear I tried, I knew the hearing was this morning but there was this god damn snake thing-”

“Are you okay?” Tony interrupted him.

Stephen nodded. “I’m fine. The snake, or whatever the hell, was annoying more than anything. What happened this morning?”

Tony was smiling fondly at Stephen’s rambling. “It’s all set, it’s official. I adopted Harley.”

“Fantastic,” Stephen said, exhaling the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. “That’s so great, Tony.”

The shorter man pulled Stephen into a strong embrace. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine after a shower.”

Tony stepped back, noticing the pronounced shaking in Stephen’s hands. “Do you need some help?”

Stephen didn’t let Tony get that far away from him. “I wouldn’t mind some company.”

He knew that he had gotten his point across based on the soft smile on Tony’s face. The genius learned in their time together that Stephen didn’t like to ask for help when it came to his hands. This was the closest he was going to get.

Tony nodded silently. He lead Stephen through the bedroom and into the bathroom. Stephen toed off his boots, leaving them in the corner before standing still as Tony started to take off his robes piece by piece.

Another thing Tony had learned was that when Stephen came back from another dimension, he behaved similarly to how Tony would after a panic attack. He would have a burst of almost nervous energy before beginning to crash. He craved a firm yet gentle touch to ground him, so Tony was sure to keep contact with him while he methodically removed the fabric from Stephen’s body.

Finally, nothing but pale skin covering a tall, lean body remained. Tony noted several bruises littered across Stephen’s torso that caused him to swallow hard. Before he could get too lost staring at them, the other man lifted his hands to frame Tony’s face.

“I’m alright,” he assured softly.

Tony responded by pulling off his own clothes. He carefully took Stephen’s wrist and brought them over to the shower, which was already running and the perfect temperature for them to step right into.

They had done this enough times for there to be a routine in place. Tony washed Stephen’s hair thoroughly, using his own shampoo and conditioner that he knew Stephen loved the smell of. Next he spread body wash over the expanse of Stephen’s skin, careful to use a feather light touch in the areas containing bruises. The broad spray of the water covered them both as they stood close together, soaking up the warmth around them.

Once their bodies had been rinsed clean, Stephen drew Tony even closer and pressed their lips together. Hot water ran over them as they kissed, Stephen’s trembling hands holding onto Tony’s hips while the brunette looped his arms around Stephen’s neck.

The third thing Tony had learned was that Stephen was often vulnerable when he returned. He had admitted to Tony once that he hadn’t felt like that until they had started dating. Tony had been worried about taking advantage of Stephen at times like this, until the sorcerer had assured him that he was able to think clearly and knew what he was doing, what they were doing, and just needed to feel Tony as much as possible.

At first, Tony had asked Stephen what he wanted, even knowing it was hard for the other man to articulate, because he was afraid of doing anything wrong. But he knew enough now to know what to do without having to ask. Stephen expressed it through his actions and Tony was a good listener.

So he got the hint while they kissed when Stephen pressed his hips forward into Tony’s so he could feel the half hardened length twitch against his own thigh. He pushed against Stephen firmly, maneuvering them until Stephen was up against the tiled wall, but still under the stream of water, before starting to kiss down Stephen’s neck.

“I love you,” he breathed into Stephen’s ear.

Tony didn’t get a response. That was okay. He knew Stephen couldn’t communicate right now. He hadn’t been expecting him to.

It was definitely new for Tony to be intimate with someone like this where it wasn’t about the sex. Instead, it was about being together, about assuring Stephen he was back and safe and in this moment with Tony.

The pace was always slow. Tony took his time kissing down Stephen’s body before getting to his knees in front of him. He pressed his lips to Stephen’s stomach, his thighs, his hips as he slowly pumped him until he was fully hard. He kissed Stephen’s entire length up from the base until he was at the head. Tony looked up through wet eyelashes to meet Stephen’s eyes. He parted his lips and slowly took Stephen into his mouth.

One trembling hand was in his wet hair while another wrapped around the back of his neck. Tony went slow, but didn’t tease. He kept constant movement and suction as he bobbed his head. It wasn’t long before he could hear Stephen panting and moaning above the rush of the water. Tony knew it never took long to bring Stephen over the edge, which the sorcerer had been embarrassed about in the beginning of this happening between them. But Tony always managed to chase that away.

The release was always intense. Everything always felt like it was dialed up to eleven when he was with Tony, but especially when Stephen was dimension lagged, as Tony had dubbed it. He wasn’t sure if he had given Tony a warning before spilling down his throat. He couldn’t be sure of anything other than the feeling of absolute bliss that swept over him in that moment.

Stephen blinked his eyes open to find Tony back in front of him. The shorter man smiled at him sweetly. Stephen couldn’t stop himself from leaning in and kissing him, groaning at the taste of himself on Tony’s tongue.

With their bodies pressed together, Stephen was reminded that this was usually a one way street between them in these situations. Tony either took care of himself, or was so focused on Stephen that he never even got aroused.

In keeping with tradition, Stephen pulled his lips from Tony’s to begin making his apologies. “I’m sorry,” he started. “I really don’t mean to-”

“Stephen,” Tony stopped him gently. His hands went up, one resting on Stephen’s cheek, the other on his neck. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, beginning his recitation of what he knew Stephen needed to hear. Tony understood anxiety as well as anyone, and therefore knew just as well how to ease it. “I have never done anything with you that I didn’t want to do. I know you need comfort, you need contact when you come back. So do I. I need to know you’re okay. I don’t do it because I think you expect it. I do it because you’re here, and you’re safe, and I love you.”

Stephen’s arms encircled Tony’s waist. “I love you too. I love you more than you will ever understand.”

Soft, warm towels replaced the hot water they had been under for close to forty minutes. Stephen’s muscles felt loose, but he also felt energized simply by being next to Tony.

Getting dressed was much easier than getting undressed. With a simple wave of his hand, Stephen donned gray jeans and a dark green shirt.

When Tony was able to get over how good Stephen looked and form words, he raised an eyebrow slightly. “Do you want to try and get some sleep?”

Stephen shook his head. “If I get in bed, I won’t get up for a while,” he replied. “I’m fine. I want to be up, with you, and for the party. If that’s okay.”

“No, you’re not invited,” Tony deadpanned. He had only managed to put on boxers thus far, and paused getting dressed for the moment. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Stephen said with a nod. “You’re really good at bringing me back to myself,” he said, and felt his cheeks immediately heat up. “I don’t mean from the...from doing what you did, in the shower. I mean by being next to me and talking to me calmly and-”

“I know what you mean,” Tony said with a smile, pulling Stephen into another hug. “I get it, honey, I do. You don’t have to explain or be embarrassed about it. I just want you to be okay.”

Stephen sighed against Tony’s neck. “I am okay. Because of you.”

At Tony’s urging, they went into the kitchen, where Tony made him some tea and toast to hold him over until May and the boys returned with the actual food for the evening.

After finishing loading the dishwasher, Tony turned around to find Stephen staring down into his still half full mug of tea. Tony went over to him, but Stephen made no acknowledgment.

“Hey,” Tony said softly, putting a hand on Stephen’s arm. “You still with me?”

Stephen looked up at Tony with clear eyes. He smiled gently and nodded. “Yeah, sorry. Just thinking.”

“About what?” Tony asked. He trailed his hand over Stephen’s neck to absently play with the strands of hair at the back of his head.

“Too much all at once,” Stephen admitted. “Mostly about you. About us.”

“What about us?” Tony asked hesitantly.

Stephen’s smile didn’t falter. “How far we’ve come in such a short time. But mainly how proud I am of you.” He put his hand over Tony’s, which was still on the back of his neck. “The way you’ve cared about nothing else other than Harley, it’s...” he trailed off, unable to find the words.

“Well, I wouldn’t say nothing else,” Tony pointed out. “He only beats you out by a little bit.”

“How much does Peter beat me by?” Stephen asked, still smiling up at Tony.

“The same amount. They’re tied. Because if I said any differently, I would never ever hear the end of it.”

As Stephen laughed, he stood from his chair and pulled Tony to him by the hip. “I think that’s acceptable.”

Tony kissed Stephen softly, sighing into it. “If you spark a debate about it, I’ll demote you behind DUM-E and U.”

More laughter was Tony’s only answer.

The boys returned with May not long after, having successfully gathered food and drinks for the party, which was also serving as a belated birthday party for Harley. When he turned sixteen a few weeks ago, he hadn’t wanted to do anything special. He was too worried about everything that was going on, and made Tony promise up and down not to do anything special. But now that it was all settled, there was no reason not to have a little get together.

Rhodey, Happy, MJ and Ned joined them. The two newcomer teenagers were trying to act casual, but it was relatively hard for them to hide their excitement over being in the impressive penthouse.

After dinner, they found themselves in the living room, where Harley and Peter wasted no time in kicking off the Mario Kart tournament. Currently, Tony was racing Harley, but they were spending more time trying to mess the other up than actually playing the game.

“If you kick me one more time I’m going to tackle you,” Tony promised.

Harley laughed. “Be careful, don’t want to throw out your back, old man.”

“Stephen! Wizard his controller away or something.”

“What?” Stephen called across the room. “I can’t hear you over all the cheating and nonsense.”

Tony risked total disaster to look up at Stephen. He tried to glare, he really did, but all he could do was smirk. “Traitor.”

Next up were Happy and Peter. Tony went into the kitchen to grab a water when he found May standing there between the two rooms, looking at him with tears in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Tony asked, panic flooding him immediately.

May shook her head. “You’re just so good with him,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “With both of them. I was wrong about you. Except for that time you took my nephew to Germany under false pretenses.” May emphasized her words by poking Tony in the chest. “But I know how lucky Peter and I are to have you around.”

Tony wasn’t sure what to say. “Technically, Germany wasn’t under false pretenses. Yes, I left out the part about fighting the other half of the Avengers, but it was a team building exercise, which I believe I mentioned when-”

He was stopped by May hugging him tightly. “Quit while you’re ahead, Stark.”

“Yep, got it,” he agreed, returning the embrace.

Unsurprisingly, Peter and Harley beat everyone else they played, and ended up playing each other for the championship, which Happy declared would be decided by the winner of best out of seven.

Tony had made his way over to Stephen, sitting on the arm of the chair he was occupying.

“I’m glad we figured out you are absolutely useless when I really need you,” Tony huffed.

“Don’t blame it on me, it’s not my fault you suck at this game.”

As Tony opened his mouth to make a crude retort, Rhodey jumped in. “Please don’t, man,” he pleaded.

Tony laughed. “Well what the hell is the point of dating a wizard if I can’t use your powers to help me beat a sixteen year old at Mario Kart?”

“Because I can reheat your coffee instantly to the perfect temperature when you forget it on the counter for three hours.”

“Good point. I guess I’ll keep you,” Tony declared. Kissing Stephen on the top of the head quickly, he abandoned his seat and retreated to the kitchen for more snacks before the sorcerer could reply.

Due to neither Harley nor Peter wanting to stop playing after Peter had won the fourth game of Mario Kart between them, they continued on well past seven games. They only paused to say goodbye to Ned and MJ, who were driven home by Happy. Rhodey left shortly thereafter, followed by May, who was not at all surprised at Peter asking to stay the night.

It was certainly motivated by Mario Kart.

The boys were showing no signs of slowing when Stephen and Tony retired to bed. The later had been watching his boyfriend closely as the night wore on, and could tell exhaustion was starting to take over. He brought with them some bottles of water, knowing that Stephen hadn’t hydrated enough and would be thankful for them when he woke up tomorrow.

Stephen’s eyes began to flutter closed as soon as he had crawled under the blankets and put his head on the pillow. He looked sleepily over at Tony, whose hand found his to hold gently.

“What do you need?” Tony asked quietly.

In response, Stephen shuffled across the bed until he was against Tony, resting his head on his chest and slipping his hand under Tony’s shirt to feel the warm skin of his toned stomach.

“I think this will do,” Stephen said around a yawn.

Tony smiled into Stephen’s hair. He dragged his fingers up and down Stephen’s arm around his waist and draped his other arm over his shoulders. “I’m definitely on board.”

It didn’t take long for either of them to fall asleep. Stephen drifted off first, and the calming feeling of the sleeping man in his arms had Tony following suit.

When morning came, they found themselves in the same position they had fallen asleep in.

Happily holding each other.


	17. Chapter 17

Just like that, summer was over, and fall was moving swiftly. The end of October was fast approaching. Tony almost couldn’t believe it. To him, it felt like just last week Harley had shown up, soaking wet, covered in bruises. But it was just about five months ago. Five months, gone by in the blink of an eye.

Tony was thinking about all of this as he got up from his spot on the couch next to Stephen in between movies to make them some more popcorn. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone standing on the balcony outside. His heart jumped into his throat and he almost fell over in surprise.

“Peter?!” he yelled through the glass. “What the fuck!”

But the teenage superhero had already disappeared out of sight. Stephen was up and following Tony onto the balcony faster than he ever remembered moving.

“Hey! Get back here!” Tony called.

Slowly, brown curls reappeared briefly before Peter’s face came around the wall. He smiled over at Tony and Stephen. “Oh, hey guys! Sorry. Didn’t mean to bother you.”

“Get over here. Now.”

Peter mumbled a few curses under his breath as he made his way back to where Tony and Stephen were standing. He was clad in his suit, mask wringing between his hands.

“What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Harley?” Tony demanded.

“He’s not here?” Peter asked hesitantly.

Tony shook his head. “Why would he be here? He’s sleeping over at your house.”

“Right,” Peter agreed. “But he, um, he wasn’t feeling well. And I thought maybe he came back here.”

“You couldn’t be any worse at lying, kid,” Tony declared. “Why don’t you start telling the truth?”

Stephen was a little surprised at the heat behind Tony’s words, but knew he was just confused and worried. He put his hand on the small of Tony’s back to try and calm him down.

“Let’s go inside,” Stephen offered, apparently the only one who noticed the wind whipping at them up on the thirtieth floor.

Peter went straight for the door and into the living room. Tony followed after Stephen guided him in, hand never leaving his back.

“Tell us what’s going on, Peter,” Stephen said gently before Tony could say anything.

The teenager swallowed hard. “We were just hanging out all night. He was tired and actually fell asleep early, around ten. I went out to patrol really quick because there’s these drug dealers a few blocks over and there are kids in the building they sell out of and...anyway, when I got back, he was gone.”

“Just gone? For over two hours?” Tony asked incredulously. “Where the hell would he have gone?”

Panic was clearly starting to set in on Peter. “I don’t know, Mr. Stark, I swear. I called him and texted him, but there’s been no answer. I thought maybe he just came back here.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” Tony wanted to know.

“I thought maybe he just went for a walk, or to get food or something. I don’t know. I didn’t want to worry you over nothing so I was just trying to figure out where he was first.”

Before anyone could say anything else, FRIDAY chimed in.

“Boss, Sargent Trainor is requesting access to the penthouse.”

Tony didn’t remember anything between FRIDAY announcing that and him opening the door to find Trainor on the other side with Harley.

“Jesus Christ,” Tony breathed. “Are you alright?”

Harley’s eyes stayed glued to the floor.

Somehow, Tony had the wherewithal to step back so they could enter. He shook hands with Trainor while trying to get his head to stop spinning.

“What’s going on?” he asked, trying to keep his voice level.

“We got a call about some kids drinking in the park,” Trainor reported. “I was nearby wrapping up something else, and on my way over there I came across a car up on the sidewalk. Harley was one of the passengers. Technically, they were all passengers, because no one would own up to who was driving and no one else saw anything before it got a flat tire from jumping the curb.”

Tony was staring at Harley in disbelief. He could now tell that the teenager was clearly drunk. He was swaying on his feet and his eyes were blood shot.

“I don’t...I don’t understand,” Tony said dumbly.

“He’s not in trouble,” Trainor supplied. “Well, at least not with us. I know he’s been through a lot, and this is probably a one time stupid mistake. Right, Harley?”

The only response was a weak nod.

“Two of the other kids ran when I showed up, so I at least have to give him credit for not taking off.”

“Thank you, Sargent,” Tony finally managed to say. He shook Trainor’s hand again. “I don’t know what else to say. Thank you for taking him home, and not arresting him.”

Trainor shrugged. “Nothing to arrest him for. The alcohol in the backseat could have belonged to any of them, and he clearly wasn’t driving. He just wouldn’t say who was. I’m glad it wasn’t worse.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, eyes fixed on Harley. “Me too.”

The next sixty seconds were a blur.

Trainor left. Harley made a beeline for his room, but was stopped by Tony yelling. Stephen ushered Peter through a portal back to his apartment after making him promise to stay put for the night. He then turned to see Tony and Harley in the hall outside the living room, where Stephen was still standing.

“Care to explain what the fuck you were thinking?” Tony demanded.

Harley rolled his eyes. “I was thinking I was just going to hang out with some friends. It’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal? Who were you even with? Drinking in the park, at fucking sixteen. And then you got in the car with someone who was drunk. You could have been killed!”

“Don’t make this into something it’s not,” Harley managed to convey through slurred speech. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“How much did you drink?”

“Not enough,” Harley mumbled.

Tony threw his hands in the air. “You gotta help me out here, kid. Where the hell is this coming from? What’s going on?”

“Nothing!” Harley yelled. “Everything is just fine, right? It’s all over.”

It was hard due to the racing of his heart, but Tony took a deep breath. “This is so unlike you-”

“According to who? To you? How the hell would you even know? You’re not my dad. My dad is fucking dead.”

A bomb going off would have been less explosive than that statement.

“What are you talking about?” Tony managed after a long moment of silence.

“He’s dead,” Harley choked out. “He overdosed.”

“When?” was all Tony could come up with.

“Monday,” Harley reported. “Jess called me. I told her I was going to tell you. But I was waiting until after the funeral. It was today.”

“I don’t...why didn’t you tell me?”

“So you wouldn’t make me go.”

Tony shook his head slowly. He took a step towards Harley, but the teenager moved back. “I wouldn’t have made you go if you didn’t-”

“Yes, you would have,” Harley scoffed. “You would have told me some sob story about your dad and said I needed closure. You would have dragged me there.”

“So for a week you’ve been acting totally normal, as if nothing had happened, only to go and get drunk with some random kids the night of your dad’s funeral. And this is my fault? Because you think I would have forced you to go? When I have ever forced you to do anything you didn’t want to?”

Harley huffed. “I just wanted to hang out with some new friends. It’s not a big deal.”

“Just because you keep saying that doesn’t make it true!” Tony yelled. “It is a big fucking deal. You’re only sixteen, you can’t be-”

“Like you weren’t doing worse things when you were sixteen,” Harley spat. “Isn’t that when you started doing cocaine? Or had you already moved onto popping pills at that point?”

Tony felt like he had been punched in the gut. “Don’t make this about me.”

“Why not? I just traded one alcoholic drug addict for another.”

Stephen could see Tony visibly flinch at that.

“Then I should know what I’m talking about,” Tony said with a short laugh. “This is a big deal. You can’t handle things this way.”

“No, you can’t handle things this way. I’m not you. Just because I had a couple drinks doesn’t mean I’m going to turn into you!”

“Stop acting like you know what’s going to happen. You’re a kid, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t care how smart you are, you clearly have no common sense.”

“Tony,” Stephen said, finally stepping up to them. “I think that’s enough for tonight. Harley, go to bed.”

“Now you’re going to try and tell me what to do?” Harley laughed. “You have even less of a clue than he does.”

Stephen couldn’t really argue with that. “This clearly isn’t productive.” When Tony opened his mouth to keep yelling, Stephen put a firm hand on his arm. “I’m not going to let either of you say anything more that you’re going to regret tomorrow.”

“The only thing I regret-”

“Harley. Do not finish that sentence,” Stephen warned. “You’re upset. You’re drunk. You need to drink water, and you need to go to sleep.”

Suddenly, it dawned on Harley just how bad he had messed up. He wasn’t sure if it was the tone of Stephen’s voice, or the haunted look in Tony’s eyes. But it was clear to him that this was bad. Very bad.

And it was his fault.

Tony wasn’t sure how long they stood there in silence after Harley’s door clicked closed. It could have been thirty seconds, or thirty minutes. He was only drawn out of his own head by Stephen moving to stand in front of him.

“Hey,” he said softly. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. This isn’t okay,” Tony said, shaking his head. “He’s fucking sixteen, Stephen. I had no idea anything was wrong for five god damn days and then he disappears and gets brought home by the police. What if it hadn’t been Trainor? What if some other cop had arrested him and then Social Services got involved and they-”

“That didn’t happen,” Stephen said, stopping Tony. “You can’t do that. All you can do is deal with what did happen.”

“And how do I do that? He knows I’m a fuck up. How do I tell him drugs and alcohol aren’t the answer when up until very fucking recently that’s exactly what I did?”

“Because you know it doesn’t work,” Stephen said, keeping his voice calm. “He acted out. He’s a teenager, that’s what they do. You just need to sleep on it and talk to him in the morning when your heads are clear.”

“You’re out of you mind if you think I’m getting any sleep tonight.”

That last comment really drove at Harley. He wasn’t eavesdropping. But Tony and Stephen were talking less than ten feet from his door, and they weren’t exactly being quiet.

Once he had closed it behind him Harley had slid down to the floor, pressed up against the wood. Everything he could hear increased the rate at which the tears were falling down his cheeks. He didn’t even try to wipe them away.

After the hallway fell quiet, he rose and changed into sweatpants and a t shirt. He drank the rest of the bottle of water that was left by his bed before pulling the covers over his head and hoping this would all turn out to just be a bad dream.

Harley didn’t hear Tony go into his lab to try (unsuccessfully) to stave off a panic attack. He didn’t hear Stephen asking FRIDAY to keep him updated on Harley’s vitals in the event he needed anything.

All he could hear was his own muffled sobs as he cried into his pillow before finally passing out.


	18. Chapter 18

For the first twenty or so minutes he was awake, Harley was trying to figure out why in the hell anyone would drink when it lead to such a terrible feeling the next day. His head felt like it was four times bigger than normal. The nausea only got worse when he remembered the things he had said last night. Tears stung his tired eyes as he laid in bed, trying to figure out how he could make this better.

It was just past six in the morning. Harley guessed he had gotten about four hours of sleep. This being his first hangover, he had no idea what he was supposed to do to make himself feel better. He would have Googled it, but light was not his friend right now. And he doubted FRIDAY would be, either.

So Harley decided to take his chances. He doubted anyone was going to be up this early. All he needed to do was go into the kitchen, grab more water, maybe some crackers, and then he’d start to feel better and would be able to think more clearly.

But of course, Stephen was sitting at the island with a freshly made cup of tea when Harley stopped at the edge of the kitchen. The gray eyes looking at him rooted Harley to the spot.

“How are you feeling?” Stephen finally asked before taking a drink.

“Not great,” Harley admitted. “I think I need water.”

“Did you drink any last night?”

“What was left in the bottle in my room. I think.”

Stephen nodded slightly. “Drink it slowly or you’ll make yourself sick.”

Pulling a cold bottle from the fridge, Harley heeded Stephen’s advice. He sipped at it slowly as he stood there, very unsure of what he should do.

“Is Mr. Stark awake yet?”

Stephen held back a sigh. After the adoption was official, Tony had finally broken Harley out of the habit of calling him Mr. Stark. He knew he was slipping back into the habit because of what happened last night, and his unease at the situation. He was thinking about how to answer the question when Harley read his expression.

“He never went to sleep, did he,” he stated more than asked.

“No,” Stephen said, shaking his head. “He didn’t.”

Harley’s face paled even more than it already was. He was gripping the bottle in his hand so tightly his knuckles turned white. It wasn’t hard for him to imagine Tony staying up all night in his lab, having panic attacks because of him. And Stephen, sitting up all night alone, worrying about Tony, because he had to go and act like an idiot.

He was being steered into a seat at the counter before he even realized Stephen had moved.

“Do you think you can eat something?”

Harley nodded silently. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t pay attention to what was going on until Stephen put a plate of lightly buttered toast in font of him.

He looked up into gray eyes once more. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Stephen asked with a frown.

“Because of last night. What I did, what I said.”

“Harley,” Stephen said, sitting next to the teenager. “You need to understand that while you made a mistake, it’s not going to change how much Tony cares about you.”

“He’s going to realize I’m not worth it,” Harley blurted. “That none of this was worth having to deal with me when he could just be left alone to be with you so he could actually enjoy his life. I barged into this whole great thing between you guys and just took over when he’s way better off with just you.”

It took Stephen a second to process what Harley had just said. When he had, there was only one thing he could com up with as a reply, and he was saying it before he could really think it through.

“If there were ever a life and death situation where Tony had to choose between you and me, I would be dead. He wouldn’t even hesitate.”

The pure sincerity Harley saw on Stephen’s face made his breath catch in his throat. Stephen saw the reaction his words had had, and decided he probably needed to elaborate a little.

“I don’t say that to make you feel bad, because I know you already do. But you do the same thing he does, and you forget how much you mean to him. To both of us, really, but Tony especially.”

“Both of you?” Harley asked softly.

Stephen nodded. “Of course. You really underestimate yourself.”

“Or you guys overestimate me,” Harley mumbled. “Because I’m clearly an idiot.”

As he munched on his toast, Stephen remained quiet. He wanted to let Harley get something other than water in his stomach while he felt up for it. When he looked over at Stephen once he had finished, the older man was surprised to see tears in the teenager’s eyes.

“What do I do now? Should I try to talk to him? What should I say?”

Stephen could see the exhaustion on Harley’s face. He knew Tony was no better. He had checked on him before coming to the kitchen. A sleepless night had definitely taken its toll on the engineer. Stephen could practically read the anxious thoughts on his face.

“I think you need to drink the rest of that water, and take another one with you back to bed. You should get some more sleep before you do anything.”

Harley shook his head. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep.”

“Do you still feel sick?” Stephen asked. Harley nodded miserably. The sorcerer held out a trembling hand, palm up. “Take my hand.”

A few seconds passed of Harley staring at him blankly. Stephen sighed.

“Take it, before I change my mind.”

Harley put his hand in Stephen’s. Sudden warmth passed up his arm. When it faded, so had his headache and his upset stomach. He felt fine. Tired still, but otherwise fine.

Stephen withdrew his hand, smiling at the look of shock on Harley’s face. “You’re still dehydrated. I can’t fix that. So drink the water and get some rest. And don’t tell Tony I did that. I’ll just deny it.”

Before he had even taken a breath after speaking, Stephen was being engulfed in a tight hug. Harley let out a shaking breath against his shoulder, snapping Stephen out of his shock so he could return the embrace.

“Thank you,” Harley whispered.

“You’re welcome,” Stephen said, knowing he meant more than just taking away the symptoms of his hangover.

Which gave him an idea to try to do the same for Tony. Well, not the same, but something similar.

So he went back into the lab, where he found Tony at his desk, head in his hands, staring down at the tablet lit up in front of him. He approached slowly, not wanting to startle the other man. Tony looked over his shoulder at him when he heard him come to a stop behind him and offered a sad smile.

“Please come to bed,” Stephen said, resting his hands on Tony’s tense shoulders.

“I can’t,” Tony breathed. “I’m sorry.”

“Harley is okay. He was just up. He had some water and toast and I sent him back to bed. Everything will be okay, I promise. But you need to let me take care of you.”

“I can’t make it stop,” Tony almost sobbed, his voice utterly broken.

“Let me help you,” Stephen said. He knelt down in front of Tony so he could look him in the eyes. “I can help you sleep. You’re only going to feel worse if you stay up. Just for a couple hours. Please, Tony.”

The tone of the taller man’s voice sent a pang of guilt through Tony. He knew Stephen had also stayed up all night, with Tony locked away in his lab. He knew they were both exhausted, and that Stephen was right. He felt awful and just wanted to turn it all off for a while.

So he allowed Stephen to pull him to his feet and down the hall to his bedroom. He followed the other man’s lead, stripping off his pants and letting them fall to the floor before crawling into the warm bed. Tony immediately settled against Stephen, huddling as close as he could.

“What are you going to do?” he asked quietly.

Stephen put his arms around Tony. “Let you sleep without having any dreams or anything keeping you awake.”

“Like hypnotizing me?”

“Not really. You’ll just be able to rest for a few hours. Is that okay? You won’t feel anything, I swear.”

Tony shifted so he could look up at Stephen. “Will you be able to sleep too?”

“Yes,” Stephen said with a nod. “Just close your eyes, honey.”

The brunette did just that. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pressing his face into Stephen’s chest.

For the next four hours, they slept.

* * *

After the hottest shower he had ever taken, Tony went into the living room with the strongest cup of coffee he could possibly make. Stephen stayed in the bedroom, wanting to give Tony and Harley an opportunity to talk. But he had made sure the door was partly open so he could intervene should another yelling match break out.

Tony was about to start his third cup when he heard Harley emerging from his room. He went back into the living room to find the teenager standing there, arms crossed over his chest, hair ruffled from sleep.

“Are you feeling alright?” Tony asked upon seeing him. He put his mug down on the coffee table and stood next to the couch in a state of unease.

Harley nodded. “Yeah. The water and toast helped.”

“Did you get sick?”

“This morning, when I first woke up,” Harley reported.

“Fuck,” Tony breathed, tugging his hands through his hair. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“I’m fine,” Harley urged. “It wasn’t bad. I felt better after.”

Tony huffed a humorless laugh. “Been there,” he muttered, mostly to himself, but Harley heard. And it reminded him of all the terrible things he had said to Tony last night. “Do you need something to drink?”

Harley shook his head. “No. I’m okay,” he replied. “Well, I’m not okay. I’m really sorry. So can you just yell at me? I know I messed up and you’re pissed at me, so just yell at me.”

Waking up from open heart surgery in a cave in Afghanistan hurt less than seeing the look on Harley’s face in that moment. Tony wanted to scream. But not at Harley. At himself, for not being more rational last night. Harley had been stuck with an abusive father. Being yelled at and hurt was what he expected.

“I’m not going to yell at you,” Tony said around the lump in his throat. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you last night. I was scared, and I didn’t understand what was going on. But I shouldn’t have reacted that way.” Harley looked like he was about to break down. “Can we talk? Are you up for that?”

In response, Harley went over and sat down on the couch. Tony did the same, completely forgetting about his coffee. Harley pulled a pillow onto his lap, holding it tightly.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Tony admitted. “So why don’t you start?”

“With what?”

“Whatever you want.”

Harley swallowed hard. “Okay.” He thought for a second or two. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my dad dying. I didn’t want to deal with it. Everything was finally settled, and I just wanted to keep it that way.”

“How did you hide it so well?” Tony asked.

“I...I wasn’t sad,” Harley said, dropping his eyes to the pillow in his lap. “I only knew the guy for a few years altogether. And the last of those years was awful. I wasn’t upset. The fact that it wasn’t bothering me bothered me more than him dying. Which I know is really messed up.”

“It’s not,” Tony replied. “You can’t control how you feel. That’s not your fault.”

“But the rest of it is. I should have just told you, but I wanted to wait until it was too late to go to the funeral so that I wouldn’t have to actually make up my mind about going. Which I know really is making up my mind, but to me it didn’t seem that way.”

Tony nodded slightly. “The part I really don’t understand is sneaking out of Peter’s and going off with those kids.”

“One of them is in my English class,” Harley explained. “I didn’t want them to meet Peter because I knew he would be nervous about them finding out about him being Spider-Man. And I just wanted to make some friends my own age so that when he graduates, I won’t be alone.”

Tony wasn’t able to come up with a response before Harley continued. “The kid’s brother is in college, and we were hanging out with some of his friends. I didn’t go to drink, I swear. But then they offered it to me, and I just...I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking.”

Silence fell. Tony ran his hands through his hair several times while Harley watched him, trying to read him. He had never seen the superhero like this before.

The quiet became too much.

“Please say something,” Harley almost whined. “Anything.”

Tony took a deep breath. “What you said, last night...I didn’t realize you felt that way.”

No elaboration was needed. Harley remembered all too well what he had said.

“No, I don’t. That wasn’t true. I was just upset, and drunk, and acted like an idiot. I didn’t mean any of what I said last night, I swear.”

“It’s okay,” Tony said with a sigh. “You weren’t wrong. I get it. I’m not the best role model. But that just means you should do the opposite of what I did when I was your age so you don’t spend most of your life like I have.”

Harley wanted to take back every last thing he had said last night. He wished he could just go back and stop himself from leaving Peter’s room. It wasn’t worth the look in Tony’s eyes.

“I didn’t start doing cocaine until I was seventeen. When my parents died,” Tony was saying before he could stop himself. “And from there, I just got worse. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, Harley, let alone want you to have to go through that.”

“I know,” Harley choked out. “I won’t ever do anything like that ever again, I promise.”

“That’s not what I want, either,” Tony said, shaking his head. “I know that you’re not resigning to what I did to myself because of last night. It doesn’t work that way. I want you to be a kid, I really do. Even with the mistakes that that entails. But I don’t want...”

He had to trail off as his voice broke. Harley could swear he felt his heart breaking as tears slipped from Tony’s tired eyes. He wiped them away quickly and forced himself to take a deep breath.

“I was so angry last night because you scared me. You scared the hell out of me. The thought of you getting in a car with someone who was drunk wasn’t something I could process. Because if anything were to ever happen to you...I swear, kid, I don’t know what I would do. I really don’t.”

It was Harley’s turn to wipe at his own tears. There was no chance of him being able to speak at this point in time.

“I don’t care if you mess up,” he could hear Tony saying. “I just care about you being safe. I need you to promise me that no matter what, if you’re in that position again, or anything similar, you’ll call me. I don’t care where you are, where I am, what I’m doing. I will come get you. And I won’t be mad, I promise. I just want you to know that you can come to me.”

“I know that,” Harley said in an almost sob. “I just knew I let you down, and I didn’t want to deal with that. I didn’t want to deal with anything, but I know I can’t do it that way. I don’t even want to, I didn’t even like drinking. It sucks.”

Tony let a laugh escape. “What did they give you?”

“Vodka,” Harley said in disgust.

“Jesus. Hell of a place to start, kid,” Tony muttered.

“You have to believe me,” Harley pressed on as if Tony hadn’t spoken. “None of what I said last night is true. That’s not what I think of you, not at all.”

“It’s okay, Harley.”

“No, it’s not. Tell me you believe me.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tony said instead.

“It does to me! After everything that’s happened, I can’t let you think that I meant any of it when I didn’t. I was just trying to hurt you because I’m an asshole and couldn’t handle the fact that my dad...” Harley’s voice broke and he couldn’t make any more words come out.

It was as if the air had been forcefully sucked from his lungs. All of a sudden, it hit him. The weight of his dad being gone, forever, was on him. Yes, he had been an atrocity of a person. Harley wouldn’t miss him. But the gravity of it reminded him of when he lost his mom, and sister, who he did miss. And now he had no family left.

Except for the man currently pulling him into a tight hug. The man Harley had called an alcoholic drug addict less than twelve hours ago.

So he just let go.

Harley let himself cry into Tony’s shoulder. He hadn’t cried this much since the first night he had come to New York, and doubted he ever would again.

“It’s okay,” Tony said calmly. “I’ve got you.”

“I didn’t mean it,” Harley sobbed. “I didn’t mean any of it.”

“I believe you. Don’t worry about that, okay? Nothing is going to change between us. I promise you. Just let it out, kid. I’ve got you.”

Neither of them really knew how long they stayed like that, but it was for a while after Harley had calmed down and stopped crying. But even then, he didn’t let Tony go.

The billionaire had made it clear, as he always had, that all he cared about was Harley’s safety. That’s why he had been so upset. And the thought that he had done anything to cause him pain would eat at Harley for a long time.

When he finally sat back against the couch, Harley felt like he hadn’t slept in days.

“So how long am I grounded for?”

Tony blinked. “What?”

“I’ve gotta be grounded after that,” Harley surmised. “That’s how this works, right? C’mon, you can’t tell me you never got yourself grounded,” he tried to joke.

“No,” Tony replied. “Just sent off to boarding school,” he said almost thoughtfully. He hadn’t said that to make Harley feel worse, but that’s what happened. “I don’t want to ground you,” he added.

Harley frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to?”

“Probably,” Tony said with a sigh. “But I don’t think punishing you is the right way to go. I hate that you did this, but I understand why.”

“So...what happens next?” Harley asked hesitantly.

Tony thought for a second. “You hungry?” The teenager nodded slowly. “Then breakfast is next.”

No more about last night was spoken between them as Tony made them scrambled eggs and bacon. They talked a little about Harley’s school work, but mostly sat quietly and ate. Once they were finished, Tony cleared their plates and handed Harley a smoothie and several aspirin.

“Take these and go back to bed,” he instructed. “And tell Peter you’re okay so that he doesn’t give himself a heart attack.”

“Thanks,” Harley said quietly. He took the pills with a gulp of the smoothie. “Are you...do you have anything you have to do today?” he asked almost shyly.

Tony shook his head. “No, I’ll be home all day. You’re not grounded,” Tony emphasized, “but trust me, you’ll want all the sleep you can get.”

Harley forced a smile, hoping it was convincing. “Okay. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later then.”

It wasn’t something he would readily admit to, but Stephen had fallen asleep after he heard Tony and Harley go into the kitchen for breakfast. But, light sleeper that he was, he was roused by Tony slipping back into bed with him.

“Hey,” Stephen said, trying his best to keep the sleep from his voice.

“Hi,” Tony said with a small chuckle. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I wasn’t sleeping,” Stephen lied. “Just resting my eyes a bit.”

Tony hummed. “Whatever you say, Doc.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to Stephen’s forehead. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

“All I did was make him toast,” Stephen said with a small shrug.

“And take the hangover away for him.” Stephen stared at Tony blankly, earning another laugh from the other man. “The kid got drunk for the first time on vodka, and just ate a whole plate of food and accepted a smoothie. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

“He was really upset this morning, I just-”

“Did what I would have done for him if I had the ability,” Tony finished for him. “Thank you, Stephen.”

The sorcerer nuzzled into Tony’s embrace. “Are you okay?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, we’re alright. He went back to bed. So I figured I would too.”

“Good idea,” Stephen sighed, pulling Tony to him.

Tony didn’t fall back to sleep, but Stephen did, and that was enough for the shorter of the pair.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just another quick chapter featuring some fluff with Harley and Tony. I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow, which is much longer, and one of my favorites I've written so far.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was difficult for Harley to tell the reason why Tony was so quiet the past week. He knew it had to have something to do with the stunt he had pulled last Friday night. But it also seemed like it was more than that, Avengers related, most likely. And it probably wasn’t helping that Stephen’s responsibilities had taken him to Nepal for the last few days.

The only thing Harley could think of to get Tony’s attention without making it obvious was maybe a bit childish, but it was worth a shot.

“Hey, kid,” Tony greeted him as Harley came into the lab. “What’s up?”

“Not much, just stuck on something,” Harley said. White lies were okay, right? “I was actually wondering if you could help me with my math homework when you have a chance.”

Tony immediately pushed away from his desk and stood up. “Yeah, of course. What are you working on?”

“You don’t have to right this second,” Harley said. “I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“Trust me, it’s for the best,” Tony sighed. “I’m about three minutes away from setting everything on fire so no one can e-mail me anymore.”

The small smile on his lips made Harley relax, so he lead Tony out of the lab to the kitchen where he had set up with his homework for the afternoon.

Math was Harley’s best subject. He was a sophomore, but already in calculus. He hadn’t been lying when he said he was stuck, but he knew he would have been able to work it out on his own in a few minutes. But he didn’t want to. He wanted to reach out to Tony to reassure himself things really were okay.

The familiar spark of the genius came out as he sat next to Harley at the island, helping him with the problems. The teenager thought to himself that he could probably sell his homework for a decent amount of money due to the scratch work Tony was making on it to show him the steps.

Within half an hour, the weight on Harley’s chest had been lifted. It was as if there had never been anything wrong in the first place. Tony was obviously enjoying helping Harley, and he was in turn taking advantage of the light mood by teasing the older man for being so “annoyingly smart.”

The afternoon wore away quickly, thanks to Tony going beyond Harley’s homework and showing him some additional functions and equations that would be the next thing he was going to learn in class to give him a head start.

Harley silently patted himself on the back for having had the perfect idea to reconnect with Tony.

For dinner, they went down to the food trucks that had gathered a few blocks over. It was a relatively warm day for the beginning of November, so they took advantage of it, knowing winter would soon take hold. They only started to make their way back to the tower after grabbing milkshakes.

He wasn’t sure why, but Tony thought now was the best time to bring up something that had been on his mind, even before Harley had been brought home by the NYPD. He calculated in his head that they would be back at the penthouse in less than eight minutes, which would allow for him to bring it up with Harley before giving him time to think about it, as they would inevitably end up watching a movie once they got back home.

The lull in the conversation that came from Harley drinking his shake gave Tony the opportunity he needed.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he started carefully. Harley looked over at him as they walked, straw still between his lips. “But I don’t want you to think it’s because of what happened the other night. It’s not. Well, it’s not entirely because of that.”

“Okay,” Harley said, swallowing hard. “What’s up?”

Tony was sure to keep as much as eye contact as he could while they walked. “I was hoping you would think about going to counseling.”

“What? You think I need therapy?” Harley asked in astonishment.

“I don’t mean it in a bad way,” Tony insisted. “But I think it would be helpful for you. You’ve been through a lot, and I can’t always help you with everything. No matter how much I want to. I’m not an expert.”

Harley made no reply except for taking another sip of his shake.

“I know we’ve had different experiences, but it’s helped me, and I think it could help you, too.”

“You’ve been in therapy?”

Tony nodded. “I am right now. I have been for about a year, actually. I realized I needed help with...well, a lot of things.”

“It actually works?”

“Yeah, it does. Not right away. It took me a while to find someone I trusted. I went to a bunch of different people when I was younger, but never gave it a real chance. And I just think...it might be good for you to have someone to talk to about things you don’t want to talk to me about.”

“I don’t know,” Harley muttered. “I’m not sure I would be good at it.”

“There’s no right way to do it,” Tony replied. “It’s not because I don’t want you to come to me with things, that’s not it at all. It just helps to have someone whose job it is to talk things through that might be hard to talk about.”

“So you think I should do it?”

“I think you should think about it. I just want you to know it’s an option, it’s not a directive. If you’re not comfortable with the idea, then it’s not going to help you. And maybe you don’t want to do it now, but down the line you do. That’s fine too. Just keep it in mind, okay?”

“Yeah,” Harley nodded, “I will.”

The last few minutes of the walk back were in silence, but not necessarily an uncomfortable one. Once back inside, Harley packed up his school stuff into his backpack and left it on the chair in the kitchen while Tony was busy making popcorn for a movie. With a full bowl and two sodas, Tony joined Harley in the living room. He was flipping through Netflix, looking for something to watch, but Tony could see the weariness in his eyes.

“Hey,” Tony said softly, getting Harley’s attention. “Remember when I told you about Stephen? That him and I were dating?”

Harley frowned slightly in confusion. “Yeah...”

“And I said I was sorry for not telling you sooner, and that I was going to fuck up a lot with all of this?” Harley nodded his response. “Well, I hate to break it to ya kid, but you’re going to fuck up too. Probably not as much as me, but you will. That doesn’t matter. What matters is how we deal with it.”

“I didn’t deal with this one very well,” Harley mumbled.

“In the long run you did.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were worried I was mad at you, so you pretended to be stuck on your homework so you could ask for my help.” Tony smirked at the awestruck look on Harley’s face. “You’re not a good actor, kid, and I know you’re way too smart to need help with calculus. But apparently you do need help being reminded that I’m always going to be on your side. That’s been the case since I met you, even before there was a piece of paper saying I’m in charge of you.”

“I know,” Harley said quietly. “I just wish I hadn’t let you down.”

“You didn’t,” Tony assured him. “You made a mistake. I’m okay with that. You have to be okay with it too.”

Harley swallowed so he would be able to talk. “You’re a lot better at this than you think you are.”

Tony breathed a short laugh. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Really, you are. Even when you were mad at me, I knew it was because you cared. I was just worried I was messing up your life and getting in the way.”

“You’re not,” Tony said quickly.

“I know. I realized it after what Doctor Strange said, actually. No offense.”

Tony cocked an eyebrow. “What did he say?”

Harley dropped his eyes for a second before looking back up at Tony. “That if there were ever a life and death situation, and you had to pick between him and me, you would let him die to save me.” Tony gaped. “He has that thing with his eyes, you know? Where you can just tell he’s not lying. So when he said that, it really hit me. Because I know how much you love him, and he loves you maybe even more, and he still wanted me to know that.”

Several beats passed before Tony could say anything. “Well, he’s right,” he rasped.

“I don’t ever want you to have to choose,” Harley added. “But I do want you to know that I understand. And I’m never going to take advantage of that or forget that again.”

Tony smiled warmly at him. “So does that mean I get to pick the movie?”

Harley snatched the bowl of popcorn off the coffee table with a smirk. “Not a chance.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice lengthy chapter.
> 
> I'm just about done the entire story, just reworking the last couple chapters. Once I have it totally done I'll hopefully be able to post a new chapter every day.

“If you end up on the news again during this school trip, I swear to god I’ll stick you in a suit and send you to the moon.”

Peter’s eyes lit up at that. “Wait, really?” he asked excitedly, as if Tony hadn’t just threatened him.

Tony groaned. “Stephen,” he whined.

Said sorcerer was too busy laughing to come to Tony’s aid, but luckily Harley was able to.

“We’ll behave, we promise,” he swore. “You guys just enjoy your vacation. You won’t even hear from us.”

“You know that that would just freak me out, right?” Tony said with an unimpressed look. “You’re trying to torture me.”

For the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, Harley and Peter were headed to Montreal with their school, leaving an extra long weekend for Tony and Stephen to escape New York as well.

At Tony’s insistence, Stephen had no idea where they were going.

He really should have been able to figure it out, though. Over the last year, he had gotten to know Tony even better than he already had. Stephen was well aware that Tony was extremely thoughtful, and he also knew he was a total sap. Romantic was the term Tony would have preferred, but they both fit.

Everything had been planned well ahead of time, including Tony taking the liberty of packing for Stephen and enlisting Wong’s help with Sanctum coverage as well as the portal to their destination.

“Don’t you own a private jet? Or three?” Stephen mused, but he wasn’t able to hide his smile.

They were standing in the foyer of the Sanctum, bags at the ready, waiting for Stephen to behave and close his eyes so Wong could transport them to begin their vacation.

“That’s way less cool, and you know it,” Tony said. “Now if you would be so kind as to close your eyes and stop yapping, I think Wong would appreciate getting us out of here.”

The aforementioned man was trying very hard to appear annoyed with the two men before him, but it was proving to be more difficult than he would have thought. Wong may appear as a cold and closed off person, but seeing his friend so obviously happy was a wonderful thing. The lengths Tony had gone to so that this would be perfect admittedly made his heart swell for the two of them.

Stephen finally granted Tony’s wishes. He closed his eyes, smiling softly when he felt Tony’s hand slip into his. The engineer had become much more comfortable with portals, but still appreciated the comforting feeling of Stephen next to him.

A gentle squeeze to his hand alerted Stephen to open his eyes.

When he did, he lost his breath.

They were standing on a balcony overlooking a crystal clear pool.

Which was overlooking a white sand beach leading to the Atlantic Ocean.

Stephen looked around him slowly. He turned to see Tony smiling at him as he took in his surroundings. Over his shoulder, Stephen saw a sprawling master bedroom with what appeared to be the most comfortable king sized bed he had ever seen. The door in the corner clearly lead to the rest of the house, which Stephen would later learn was virtually all white finishing, mostly marble, and absolutely stunning.

But for now, his eyes made their way back to Tony.

“Portugal,” Stephen stated instead of asked.

Tony nodded. “Azenhas do Mar,” he supplied. “The whole place is ours. House, pool, beach. Town is about two miles down the street, but we should have everything we need right here.”

“This is...” Stephen couldn’t think of the right word. Thanks to the time difference, the sun was starting to make its slow descent in the sky, casting the beach in the perfect light. “Wow,” he said finally.

Tony breathed a laugh. “That’s what I was hoping for.”

Stephen was shaking his head slowly. “How did you even find this place?”

“Luca,” Tony answered. “That guy has more connections than even I do.”

“How much did it cost?”

“A lot,” Tony admitted. “But I made an even bigger donation to the area hospital to offset you being upset that I spent so much on a weekend getaway.”

“Of course you did,” Stephen muttered, but pulled Tony to him to kiss him soundly. “Thank you, Tony.”

“Care to join me for a sunset walk on the beach?”

Like Stephen would say no to that.

After a quick change into shorts and t shirts, they left their shoes in the bedroom and headed down to the beach. The sand stretched for miles, without another person in sight.

Once he was able to stop gawking at his surroundings, Stephen slipped his hand into Tony’s as they began their stroll. His heart fluttered at how careful Tony was, keeping his fingers lax while they laced with Stephen’s so as not to cause him any pain.

“I can’t believe you bought me all new clothes,” Stephen said as they turned once they got to the water. The waves crashed gently against their feet as they walked, cool water pooling around their ankles before receding.

Tony smiled. “I couldn’t risk you figuring anything out. And I didn’t want to try and decipher which robes are your vacation robes versus everyday robes.”

“I don’t have vacation robes. I can’t even remember the last time I went on something that would be considered a vacation.”

“No gallivanting in your surgeon days?”

“I was too worried about being the best that I never took time off. There was nothing else I wanted to do other than work.”

“I know what that’s like,” Tony said thoughtfully. “But I’m glad I could steal you for a few days.”

Stephen sighed. “I know I’ve been really busy lately, I’m so-”

A kiss being pressed to his cheek mid stride stopped the sorcerer’s apology. “I was just teasing you, honey,” Tony said softly. “I love that you’re a bad ass wizard. It really works for me.”

“Yeah?” Stephen asked with a laugh.

“But, to be fair, everything about you works for me.”

“You’re one to talk.” Stephen tried to make his voice lower and sultry, but he couldn’t keep the laughter away. He was just so happy in this moment that he was bubbly.

Yes. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, was bubbly.

Because of Tony Stark.

They talked about anything and everything on their long walk. What Harley and Peter could possibly get up to in Montreal. Whether or not the Cloak of Levitation could operate one of Tony’s suits. Their favorite places they had made out over the last year, including promises of adding a few more spots to that list on this trip.

The sunset was at its most brilliant, making the sky explode in red, orange and yellow. Tony drew them to a stop before carefully tugging Stephen down to sit on the warm sand with him. They watched the colors in silence for a long time before Tony broke it.

“Would it be overly cliché right now to tell you how ridiculously in love I am with you?”

Stephen turned his head to find dark brown eyes looking at him as if he were the beautiful sunset reflecting on the ocean.

“Yeah,” Stephen breathed, “but you really shouldn’t let that stop you.”

Tony’s smile was the most genuine thing Stephen had ever seen. “For most of my life, I didn’t feel much of anything that was real. I always assumed there was something wrong with me. And then I met you, and it was like a switch was suddenly flipped.”

Everything around them could burst into flames, and Stephen wouldn’t have been able to take his eyes away from Tony’s.

“Before you, I would have laughed at myself saying that. I never thought that I could have this with anyone, that someone would just want me and not what I can give them or do for them. But you...god, Stephen. There’s not a single thing I wouldn’t do for you, even though you don’t need me to do anything. And you’re still here.”

“Because you’re all I want,” Stephen was saying before he could even process he was going to speak. “Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done, Tony. You’re passionate and caring and so god damn loyal. Everything you’ve been through...most people would have taken a very different path. But not you.”

“I would go through it all again as long as I ended up with you.”

The kiss that followed knocked Tony back onto the sand. Stephen’s chest covered his as their passion and love overflowed. Tony threaded his fingers through Stephen’s hair, holding him in place as their tongues slid together.

It didn’t matter to either of them how played out this whole scenario was. Kissing on the beach during sunset. Didn’t it happen in every single romantic comedy ever made? Regardless. They wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

Stephen reluctantly had to tear his lips from Tony’s to allow for air to get into his lungs. Tony, on the other hand, kissed across Stephen’s cheek to his jaw before mouthing at his neck.

“I think we should get back to the house,” Tony almost purred. “I don’t think sand is going to be all that comfortable in a few minutes.”

So they replaced the beach with their ridiculously large and comfortable bed. It felt like they kissed for hours before they even took each other’s clothes off. The heat between them was intense, but they both were on the same page about taking their time and enjoying every single second they had together in this moment.

Stephen couldn’t take his eyes off of Tony. For the last several moments all he could technically see was the top of his head, but it still held his gaze. The brunette methodically kissed every inch of skin as he made his way down Stephen’s body before settling between the sorcerer’s long legs. He stroked the heated length he found there slowly before looking up at Stephen.

With an audible intake of breath, Tony opened his mouth, tongue halfway out, and sought out one of his favorite things to taste.

Shaking fingers did their best to hang on. Tony’s mouth was securely around him, wet lips and slick tongue working him perfectly. He pulled out all the stops. Every little thing he knew Stephen liked, he did. Tony cupped his balls while he swirled his tongue around the swollen head. He opened the back of his throat and took the entirety of his dick down, swallowing around the throbbing flesh.

Before he could warn Tony that he was about to come, the heat of Tony’s mouth was gone. Strong fingers wrapped around the base of his shaft, cutting off his urge to let go. Stephen panted, looking down at Tony with eyes that were almost totally black with lust.

Once his breathing evened out, Tony began again.

He edged Stephen four times before the man was a moaning mess on the pillows above him.

“Tony,” Stephen gasped after the other man had popped off his dick with the most obscene sound he had ever heard. “I fucking need you so bad. Please please please.”

Tony moved back up slowly, kissing and caressing as he went. Stephen seized his lips as soon as he was within reach, sucking at the taste of himself on Tony’s tongue. He felt Tony straddling his hips, settling their erections together before pulling back to sit up.

There was a protest beginning on Stephen’s lips, but it died when he saw Tony beginning to open himself up. Their eyes did not leave one another as Tony fingered himself, stretching and prodding while he ground down against Stephen.

“You’re fucking beautiful,” Stephen moaned.

A blush flashed across Tony’s cheeks, down his neck to his chest. His breathing was erratic at best, and his thighs were starting to tremble. He finally withdrew his hand to move it between their bodies, grasping Stephen firmly before lifting his hips.

Time seemed to stand still as Tony lowered himself onto Stephen. His eyes closed on their own accord as the breath was knocked from his lungs. He would never get tired of this feeling, of Stephen stretching him to his limits as they came together.

“Stephen,” he gasped once he was fully seat back on his lap. “Fuck, baby. You feel so good. Nothing has ever felt this good,” he swore.

There wasn’t time for Stephen to articulate a reply before Tony started to move. Only the tip of Stephen’s length remained caught on Tony’s rim before he sank back down, taking every inch beautifully.

Tony’s hand landed on Stephen’s stomach as he leaned forward, changing the angle to drive Stephen into his prostate. He moaned loudly, his hips jerking on their own accord. His pace increased steadily, feeling how close Stephen was getting in time with himself.

Despite feeling like his muscles had turned to jelly, Stephen sat up so he was pressed chest to chest with Tony. He wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist tightly, thrusting up into him as Tony moved back down. Tony’s erection was trapped between their bodies, rubbing against their toned stomachs as they moved together. Tony took himself in hand, flicking his thumb over his head while his other hand cupped Stephen’s jaw.

“I love you,” Tony whispered, his forehead falling against Stephen’s.

Stephen kissed him hard. “I love you so much,” he said against Tony’s lips. “Come with me, Tony.”

The suggestion was obeyed.

Tony’s head fell back as the bundle inside him snapped. His body moved on its own, chasing the feeling against Stephen underneath him.

The tightening of Tony’s body around him sent Stephen over the edge. He was shocked he had lasted this long, to be honest, after the near torture Tony had inflicted on him prior. The feeling made him double over as much as he could in the current position until he came into contact with Tony. His mouth landed on his shoulder and he bit down involuntarily, moaning as Tony continued to ride him through their orgasms.

They were both quite sure they had never felt like this before in their lives. Stephen held onto Tony as tightly as he could to keep the other man from toppling over, letting him catch his breath. Once he had leveled off enough, Stephen moved back to lay against the pillows, taking Tony down with him. He tucked his chin over the shorter man’s head, feeling their hearts thud together through their chests.

After several long moments, Tony shifted so Stephen slid from his body. He shuddered at the feeling, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

He lifted his head enough so that he could look up at Stephen. “Are you alright?” he asked softly.

Stephen breathed a laugh. “That is the dumbest question I have ever been asked.” He moved his hand to the back of Tony’s head to pull him up for a kiss.

Tony smiled into it. “It wasn’t too much?"

“You’re never too much,” Stephen mumbled against Tony’s lips. “You’re fucking perfect.” When Tony moved to the side and propped himself up on his elbow, Stephen spotted the mark he had left on his shoulder. His face fell immediately. “Jesus,” he breathed, reaching a shaky hand out to brush over the blossoming bruise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Tony glanced down, apparently noticing it for the first time. “You didn’t,” he said softly, carefully putting his hand over Stephen’s. “You’ve never done anything other than make me feeling absolutely amazing.”

A soft brush of lips against his knuckles quelled all of Stephen’s worry. It always stunned him how naturally Tony could go from intense and passionate sex to being so sweet and gentle.

“Speaking of feeling amazing,” Tony was saying, pulling Stephen from his thoughts. “I’m going to need you to come with me.”

Following Tony into the bathroom, Stephen found the largest bathtub he had ever seen. Bathtub wasn’t even the right word. It was the size of a Jacuzzi and could have easily fit four or five grown adults.

Stephen wondered absentmindedly when Tony had filled it with water as they climbed in together. The water began to heat up as Tony adjusted the controls, flipping on the jets and pouring in some oil and bath salts. He extended his hand, offering Stephen a remote for the jets at his back.

A groan escaped his throat as the heat pulsed into his muscles perfectly, and he let himself sink down until the water was over his shoulders. He looked over at Tony, who had a tired smile on his face.

“You know that I love you for you, and not because of your money, right?” Stephen said.

Tony cocked an eyebrow. “But you’re about to ask me to get one of these, aren’t you?”

Stephen sighed. “I wish I could live in here.”

Despite the size of the tub, providing for more than enough room for both of them, Tony stretched his leg to sling it over Stephen’s while his hand moved through the water to hold his boyfriend’s. Stephen smiled over at him, wishing he was able to come up with the words to express just how happy he really was.

But the look in Tony’s eyes told him he didn’t need to express it, because it was well understood.

After close to an hour, Tony was able to convince Stephen to leave the steam filled room due to the fact that they had yet to eat anything since arriving. The promise of Tony cooking for him was the only thing that made Stephen want to get out.

The kitchen, like most every room in the house, had expansive windows that looked out over the ocean. The moon was well up in the sky by this point, casting a glimmering light across the water. Stephen was so transfixed by the view that before he knew it, Tony was putting a plate of grilled chicken and rice in front of him. It wasn’t until he saw the delicious looking food that Stephen realized how hungry he truly was.

A comfortable silence settled over them as they ate, but once the food was gone, Tony turned to Stephen almost shyly.

“I haven’t asked yet, because I know what the answer is, and why, but I just want you to know that it’s not because I don’t want to.”

Stephen looked at him for a moment while his brain tried to decipher the confusing sentence Tony had just uttered. “Okay,” he replied lamely.

“Yeah, that didn’t make sense, did it?” Tony said with a short laugh. “I should have started with how happy I am, with you, with everything in general. And I know it’s been a year, more or less, but that we can’t necessarily...move forward.”

Realization suddenly dawned on Stephen. “Or move in together.”

Tony nodded slightly. “I know that we can’t. I just didn’t want you to think that I didn’t want to. But I guess you might not even want to. I didn’t really think of that until just now. Which is fine-”

“Tony,” Stephen stopped him gently. “It’s not that I don’t want to.”

“Really?”

Stephen smiled warmly. “Really. But you’re right, it’s not...I don’t know the right word to use. Feasible, I guess, at the moment. I can’t leave the Sanctum for more than a few nights here and there. And it’s not safe for you to be there for an extended period of time.”

“I know,” Tony said sincerely. “I get it, I do. I just wanted you to know that I understand, as silly as that sounds.”

“It’s not silly,” Stephen assured him. “It’s good to be on the same page. And it’s not something that I don’t want to happen, it just doesn’t work right now.” He shook his head. “That doesn’t sound right either.”

“I know what you’re saying,” Tony said with a smile. “But it’s not just about you and the Sanctum. I play a part in it too, with Harley and the Avengers and all my bullshit. There’s a lot of moving pieces.”

After a moment of silence, Stephen took a deep breath. “It’s not something that can never happen,” he said. “I don’t want you to think that this can’t go anywhere, with us, or that I don’t want it to. Because I do.”

“So do I. But I think we’re in a really good place right now, right?”

“Yes,” Stephen agreed immediately. “We are. It doesn’t mean we have to stay exactly where we are forever, but we deserve to enjoy it, too.”

“Yeah,” Tony breathed. “I’ll stay however you want for as long as you want. As long as we’re together, nothing else matters to me. This is all I want.”

Yet again, Tony stole Stephen’s ability to speak. So he kissed him instead of replying.

They did a lot of that over the next few days.

It was easy for them to settle into a routine. They slept in without any care of what time it was. Tony would make them breakfast and plenty of coffee. Peter and Harley would check in, and promise they weren’t getting into any trouble.

The late morning and early afternoon they would spend down at the beach. Stephen didn’t think he would ever get over seeing Tony floating in the ocean on his back, arms outstretched, the sun making the water on his tan skin sparkle.

Lunch would bring them back up to the house, where they would lounge by and in the pool, making out in the sunshine without a single care in the world other than kissing each other thoroughly.

In the blink of an eye, it was their last night. Stephen was glad for his perfect memory ensuring that he would never forget this weekend. The current moment was nothing short of perfect, and he wanted to stay right there forever.

They had slid into the silk sheets of their bed after a much needed shower. The salt, sand, sweat, and other results of their activities together fell from their bodies under the clean water and soap. Their hair was still damp as they donned their boxers before finding the comfort of the bed.

Refreshing was the word that kept flashing through Stephen’s mind. There was no better feeling than being clean after a day at the beach, laying in bed with the person he loved most in this world.

He wasn’t sure if it was the crisp white sheets, or the way the moon was coming in to light up their bedroom, or the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. But it was probably a combination of all of that that made Stephen’s heart swell.

After tapping on his phone for a second, Tony returned to his place next to Stephen. He snuggled up to the taller man, who sighed at the feeling of Tony’s warm, smooth skin. As music began to softly play throughout the room, Tony brushed his lips across Stephen’s chest down to his stomach, where he settled his chin to look up at the other man.

“ _Dreams._ Fleetwood Mac. ‘Rumours’ 1977,” Stephen reported automatically.

Tony couldn’t have stopped his smile even if he had tried. “ I love it when you do that.”

Stephen sifted his fingers through Tony’s hair. “ I wouldn’t have guessed this to be part of your collection.”

“I like it,” Tony said, shrugging the best he could. 

“It’s a breakup song,” Stephen pointed out. “Everyone in the band was going through a breakup at the time. Four of them with each other.”

“Thunder only happens when it’s raining,” Tony sang along in reply.

A  laugh rumbled through Stephen’s chest.  The cool night breeze came in through the open windows, spreading over their skin, still flush from the heat of the shower. Instead of pulling the sheets up, or putting on shirts, they simply moved closer together, preferring the feel of skin on skin contact.

“Where are we going next?” Stephen asked as the song neared its end.

T ony hummed. “I don’t know. Wherever you want.”

“Nope. This was my pick. It’s your turn.”

In lieu of an immediate response or protest, Tony tilted his head. His nose brushed Stephen’s skin as he ghosted his lips over his abs.

“Alaska,” Tony mumbled into Stephen’s skin.

Stephen’s hand kept its place in Tony’s hair while the other traced over Tony’s fingers splayed out on his ribs. “Why Alaska?”

“Why not? We’re at the beach right now. We should switch it up. Mountains and snow.”

“You want to cuddle in front of a fireplace under a mountain of blankets.”

The breath that was pushed out as Tony laughed made the fine hairs on Stephen’s torso stand up. “Is there something wrong with that?” he asked, looking back up at the gray eyes above him.

“Not at all,” Stephen promised. “I’d go anywhere with you, Tony.”

E ver so light kisses were left on his body as Tony moved up towards him. He brushed the hair off Stephen’s forehead, staring into his eyes as if mesmerized.

“I think the greatest accomplishment in my life is getting you to like me,” Tony muttered before pressing his lips to Stephen’s. 

“I’ve always liked you.”

Tony kept his lips against Stephen’s. “You realize that the reason you kissed me that day was because I was pissing you off, correct?”

Stephen’s hands trailed up and down Tony’s back slowly. “You realize that you were only able to piss me off to that extent because of how much I care about you, correct?”

Sleep came and went for them that night. They stayed up late talking, dozing in and out more than actually sleeping. But being wrapped up in each other, listening to the waves and their breathing, was better than anything else they could think of.

The sun had started to come up, but Stephen was awake before that happened. Tony was still tucked securely against him, unwilling to move from his spot the entire night. Not that Stephen had wanted him to.

Stephen’s fingers trailed from Tony’s hair down to his back, resulting in a sigh coming from the other man. He mumbled something unintelligible into Stephen’s chest.

“What was that?” Stephen asked softly.

Tony huffed as he moved his head enough so he could speak, pulling himself tighter against Stephen. “Don’t stop,” he pleaded.

A soft laugh accompanied Stephen’s fingers returning to Tony’s hair. “My apologies. I forgot I was cuddling with a cat.”

“Better not let it happen again.”

Stephen must have drifted off for a while. The sun was much brighter the next time he opened his eyes to the sound of Tony’s phone vibrating on the table beside the bed. He groaned, but turned away from Stephen to retrieve it, already knowing it was Harley and/or Peter letting him know they were on their way back to New York. After a quick reply, he dropped his phone back in its place, leaving his arm reaching out as he stretched, laying on his back.

It wasn’t really a conscious decision. Stephen just couldn’t help himself. His trembling hand moved with a mind of its own, fingers brushing over the expanse of scar tissue on Tony’s chest. The brunette stilled, watching the long digits move across his skin. Stephen moved towards his lover, pressing his lips to Tony’s hairline, his temple, his cheek, his neck, before making his way to Tony’s scars.

As Stephen was about his hands, he knew Tony was sensitive about the scars on his chest. There was a slight concavity in the center from where the reactor had been, which was the epicenter for the tangled web of jagged lines. Stephen never ignored them when they were together, but this was different than touching in the heat of sex. This was even more intimate, even more loving.

Tony’s breath stuttered in his lungs as Stephen moved his lips across his chest. He had the wherewithal to reach over and thread his fingers with Stephen’s left hand, knowing that the gesture would show him he was okay with and appreciated what Stephen was doing. And as soon as Stephen lifted his head to look up at him, Tony was directing him forward so he could press their lips together firmly.

“I hate that I can’t explain to you how much I love you,” Tony said when they parted. “I wish I could tell you how I feel, exactly how you make me feel.”

“You can.”

Before Tony could inquire, Stephen was sitting up, gently pulling Tony with him. The puzzled look on Tony’s face was one of the most adorable things Stephen had ever seen. He shuffled so he was fully facing Tony before holding out his hands, palms up.

“I can show you exactly how I feel,” Stephen explained. “And I’d be able to feel what you do.”

Tony blinked. “Like...reading each other’s minds?”

“No, just a quick burst of emotion. It wouldn’t be permanent. But it would convey perfectly what words fail to.”

After a second of no reaction, Stephen began to drop his hands before Tony was able to stop him.

“I want that,” he breathed, carefully taking Stephen’s hands into his own. “I want you to know. Help me show you.”

Stephen nodded, unable to formulate a response. He held Tony’s gaze, watching as his eyes went wide as their emotions flowed into each other.

There really were no words to describe it. They felt as close to the same as two different hearts possibly could. Tony felt Stephen’s complete fondness sweep over him, while Stephen could feel Tony’s total adoration.

It lasted less than ten seconds, but that was all that was needed. Tony’s hands left Stephen’s only to frame his face, making it easier for him to kiss the other man senseless.

They only pulled apart when their lungs began screaming at them for air. At some point, Tony had apparently moved onto Stephen’s lap, because that’s where he found himself, looking down at him in near wonder.

“Every time I tell you I love you, I want you to think about that feeling,” Tony said against Stephen’s lips. “Because that’s what I mean. That’s what I wish I could put into words.”

Stephen smiled brightly. “I will if you will.”

There was no rush for them to get out of there. Stephen would instantly have them back in New York by means of a portal, and Harley and Peter wouldn’t return until around five that night. So they took their time, enjoying the sunshine and time with each other.

But before long, Stephen was exiting the bathroom after enjoying one last shower. He was a bit startled by the sound of voices coming from the kitchen when he opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. They were gone as suddenly as they seemed to appear, but there was no mistaking Tony’s voice, even though he hadn’t been speaking English.

Once he was dressed, Stephen went into the kitchen to find Tony unpacking an impressive amount of groceries. His back was to Stephen, so he didn’t notice he had joined him until Tony turned around.

“I have a few questions,” Stephen began, earning a smile from Tony. “First, were you just speaking Portuguese to whoever was here?”

Tony nodded. “Yep. Not very well, but I can get by.”

“Okay. So, didn’t know that. What other languages can you speak?”

“Italian, French, Spanish, and the teeniest bit of Greek.”

“You should have led with that. I would have jumped you a lot sooner. But moving on. Why did you have all this food delivered when we’re about to leave?”

Tony looked around him and shrugged. “There’s a family coming here tonight. They think they’re spending their vacation at a motel in the city, all six of them in one room. Luca knows them well, so we’re going to surprise them. They’re being brought here instead, and I just wanted to make sure they had everything they would need.”

Stephen was staring at him as if he were speaking Italian suddenly. Tony continued putting the groceries away, turning to the fridge as he did so.

“The parents both work two jobs. They haven’t been able to go on vacation with their whole family yet. It took them years to save, and all they could afford was an overcrowded motel. So I just thought...I don’t know them, but they deserve a nice vacation with their family.”

Stephen couldn’t come up with any words, so he opted instead to help Tony put the rest of the food away. Once the last bag was emptied, he engulfed Tony in a tight hug.

“I think you’re pretty great, you know,” he mumbled into Tony’s hair.

Tony sighed into the embrace. “Not as great as you, but thanks. I’ll take it.” He only moved away from Stephen so that he could angle his head upwards to initiate a kiss.

The kitchen was the last place they added to their make out list for the weekend.

Upon their return to New York, Stephen reluctantly took his leave to head back to the Sanctum. Tony managed to let him go, but it was quite a struggle for him.

Thankfully, Tony only had about an hour on his own before he had to leave to go pick up Harley at the school. Despite the near seven hour drive on the bus, both Peter and Harley were brimming with energy when they stepped off to find May and Tony waiting for them.

Collecting his respective teenager, Tony began driving them back to the Tower, listening to Harley recount their trip almost hour by hour. He couldn’t help but smile at hearing how much fun they had had.

“I hate to cut you off, kid, but there’s no food at the house,” Tony reported. Before Harley could make a quip, he continued. “I know, you’re shocked. But that’s beside the point. What do you feel like for dinner? And keep in mind the leftovers are going to have to be your lunch tomorrow because I clearly can’t plan more than four days out.”

“It’s really unfair that we have to go to school tomorrow,” Harley sighed.

Tony gave him an unimpressed look. “Let me guess. You and Pete spent every night playing video games and eating junk food instead of, oh I don’t know, sleeping?”

“Oh please. How much sleep did you get on your vacation?” Harley’s eyes went wide as soon as he saw the smirk on Tony’s face. “If you answer that I am going to launch myself out of this car, I swear to god."

It took a minute for Tony’s laughter to die down. “So pizza then?”

“And mozzarella sticks.”

“Done deal.”

After eating more than his fair share of food, the exhaustion began to set in on Harley. But there was no way he was going to admit that it had anything to do with his lack of sleep over the last few days, even though Tony clearly knew it already.

They watched a few episodes of Brooklyn 99 before Tony was flipping the tv off.

“Alright, kid, off to bed,” he ordered.

Harley was too tired to try and argue, so he got up off the couch and started making his way to his room.

“Good night,” he said around a yawn.

“Night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Harley stopped as he was about to turn down the hall. “Wait. Did you guys have fun? I didn’t even ask, I’m sorry.”

Tony smiled. “Yeah, we did. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.”

“Feel free to skip over any parts that are going to make me want to drink bleach.”


	21. Chapter 21

It wasn’t a surprise to Stephen to find that Tony was already awake and in the lab when he entered the penthouse, despite the early hour. What was surprising was the split lip he was greeted with.

“What the hell happened?” he asked, rushing over to Tony’s side where he was sitting at his desk. Stephen’s hands went up on either side of Tony’ s face on their own accord.

“I’m fine,” Tony assured him, putting his hands gently on Stephen’s wrists. “Harley was having a nightmare, and I woke him up. You’d think I would know better than to do that,” he said with a humorless laugh.

Stephen’s face fell, along with his heart.

“He didn’t do it on purpose,” Tony added quickly upon seeing Stephen’s reaction. “He was just scared, and he kind of flailed, I think. It wasn’t intentional. He doesn’t even realize he did it because he was so upset. I got him back to sleep without turning the light on. I didn’t know he did any damage myself until this morning. It’s not a big deal, it doesn’t even hurt.”

A trembling thumb pressing against the cut came as Stephen’s response. Sudden warmth replaced the slight sting, and then there was nothing at all. Tony raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

“He doesn’t need to see it when he wakes up,” Stephen said softly. “The last thing he needs to do is blame himself for an accident like that.”

Tony let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. “Thank you.”

Stephen released his hold on Tony’s face before leaning back against the desk. “Did you get any sleep last night?” he asked softly.

“Yeah,” Tony said with a shrug. “As much as I usually do, I’d say.”

“And if I checked with FRIDAY, what would her answer be?”

“That she can’t answer that, if she knows what’s good for her.” Tony smiled, but it faded as he shook his head slowly. “I was just worried about him. I wanted to be around in case he got up or something.”

“I know,” Stephen said with a sigh. He also knew that because he had been gone for a few days, Tony probably hadn’t gotten much sleep anyway. In lieu of bringing that fact up, he reached out and ran a hand through Tony’s already disheveled hair. “How about some breakfast then?”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking or offering?”

“Come to the kitchen and find out.”

An impressive spread of food covered the island. Fruit, pasties, waffles, eggs, bacon, toast. Anything Tony could think of was there. He turned to Stephen in mock anger.

“You’re telling me I’ve been making you breakfast all this time when all you have to do is wave your friggin hands and you can do _this_?”

Stephen scoffed. “I’m hurt, Tony. You think this was magic? This was hours of hard work on my part, for you, because I love you and want you to have a good balanced break-”

He was effectively cut off by Tony’s mouth pressing to his. Stephen couldn’t help but smile into the kiss.

“I knew you couldn’t be trusted, wizard.”

“Can you blame me for liking it when you cook? It’s really hot.”

“Hey,” Tony said, pointing a finger at him. “Don’t think stroking my ego gets you out of this. And don’t say anything about stroking anything else. That’s inappropriate and not acceptable breakfast talk.”

“What is acceptable breakfast talk?” Stephen asked as he followed Tony over to the counter holding all of the food.

“You can tell me how things are at Kamar-Taj, for starters.”

There wasn’t much to tell, but thanks to Tony’s incessant follow up questions, Stephen’s explanation lasted throughout the time that they ate. At Tony’s insistence, he washed the dishes while Stephen nursed a cup of tea that Tony made for him without even asking if the sorcerer wanted one.

When he was done, a quick glance at his watch brought a groan from the brunette. “I have a fucking conference call with fucking Rogers and the fucking Avengers,” he reported before Stephen had to ask.

“What about?”

“Just a general check in,” Tony sighed. “I think. I don’t know. I don’t read Fury’s e-mails completely, and he knows it, so he’ll probably change it up on me. But it won’t take long. I’m already planning to have ‘technical difficulties’ and get myself dropped from the call after no more than a half hour.”

Stephen laughed. “Do you really think they’re going to believe that Tony Stark is having technically difficulties?”

“Do you really think I care?”

“No,” Stephen said, still smiling. He pressed a kiss to Tony’s hairline as he rinsed his mug before putting it in the now full dishwasher. “I’m going to take a shower then.”

Tony nodded. “Okay. Do I have to put this food away until Harley gets up, or will it magically all just stay perfect?”

“It’s fine where it is.”

“This is such bullshit,” Tony muttered before pecking Stephen’s lips quickly and disappearing to retrieve his phone for the call.

A half hour goes by really quickly when you’re fighting with four different people simultaneously.

Tony’s pacing had taken him from his lab to run circles through the living room and the kitchen. He was currently running through all the reasons why twice daily mandatory team training exercises were not only unnecessary, but overkill, when Steve Rogers interrupted him again.

“If you were around more you would know that it is necessary.”

“Around more for what?” Tony wanted to know. “These pleasant conversations? I’m not around more because I can’t be, and I don’t want to be. There’s no reason to spend eight hours every god damn day planning for scenarios we’ve already been in.”

“But what about the ones we haven’t been in?” Steve posed. “We need to be ready for anything, Tony. And we need you here for that.”

“No you don’t. You need me for money, repairs, upgrades, and technical support. That’s it. I can do that easily from here with some time here and there going to the compound.”

“How can you be part of the team if you’re never around the team?”

Tony huffed. “Maybe I can’t. So fucking replace me.”

The billionaire ended the call and threw his phone against the couch from the other side of the room. He scrubbed his hands over his face, which made him miss that Harley was standing in the hallway outside the room.

“Did you just quit the Avengers?”

Tony dropped his hands in surprise. “No,” he said. “Just messing with Rogers. He can’t replace me, and he knows it. He just needed to be reminded.” Harley nodded slightly as he yawned. “I’m sorry, did I wake you up? I hadn’t planned on actively participating in the call until he started pissing me off.”

Harley laughed slightly. “No, I was awake for a little bit before I got up.”

“Sorry,” Tony sighed anyway. “There’s a magical breakfast in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

“Magical?” Harley asked with a frown. “What does that mean?”

“It means Stephen’s been holding out on us for over a year and can create a god damn buffet with the wave of his hand.”

“I’ll provide every meal for you that way if it gets you to shut up about it,” Stephen called from down the hallway.

Tony smirked at Harley. “Oh no, we’ve upset the wizard.”

As Harley was working on his second plate of food, Tony came into the kitchen to make some more coffee. He leaned forward against the counter as it was brewing, keeping a sigh in as he did so.

“Staring at it won’t make it go any faster,” Harley said around a mouthful of toast.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Tony replied. “I designed it that way specifically so that it understands how desperate I am and will hurry the hell up.”

Tony turned to Harley, glad to see a smile on his face. He regarded the teenager for a few seconds before it became obvious.

“I’m okay,” Harley said with a nod. “I’m sorry if I woke you up last night, or interrupted something you were doing.”

“You didn’t,” Tony said, a little too quickly. “I didn’t mean to make it worse for you.”

“No, I know. You didn’t,” Harley said sincerely.

“Have you been having a lot of nightmares?” Tony asked softly.

Harley shrugged and busied himself with picking at his bagel. “Not often, here and there I guess.”

It was a little strange to see Harley’s behavior mirroring his own. Tony never liked to talk about his nightmares either, even with Stephen, even after all the time they’d been together. So while he understood Harley’s position, he now also understood Stephen’s. Tony felt like he couldn’t help Harley because he didn’t know what had happened and couldn’t figure out how to respond to it. It tugged at his heart that there had been so many times Tony had woken up from a nightmare next to Stephen, who had only wanted to help, but Tony hadn’t been able to let him.

But for the time being, he had to focus on Harley.

“Okay,” Tony replied simply.

He planned to leave it at that and started fixing his coffee when Harley spoke up again.

“I actually was thinking about what you said, a while ago, about counseling.”

Tony stopped what he was doing to look back at Harley. “Yeah?”

Harley nodded, keeping his eyes down on his plate. “It doesn’t bother me all the time, what happened with my dad. It’s not really that. It’s more that I miss...” he took a deep breath. “I miss my mom, and my sister. That’s really what’s been so hard. And it’s not that I don’t love it here, or appreciate you. I just really miss them.”

“Hey,” Tony said, going over to stand next to Harley so the teenager looked up at him. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I don’t take it personally that you miss them, that’s natural.”

“I just don’t want you to think it’s because I’m not happy here.”

“I know that’s not why,” Tony replied. “But it doesn’t matter what I think.”

Harley nodded slowly. “Does it make the nightmares go away?” he asked so quietly Tony almost hadn’t heard him.

“Not right away, not completely,” Tony answered honestly, taking a seat next to Harley. “It helps, but I don’t know if it’s the therapy, or just time. But it does get better.”

“After a long time, though, right?”

The sadness in Harley’s voice broke Tony’s heart.

“I don’t think there’s a formula for it. You’re always going to miss your family, but after a while you’ll be able to think about them without being sad. You’ll be able to focus on the good stuff.” Tony could easily read the look on Harley’s face when the teenager looked up at him. “I’m not a good benchmark to go by, kid. I was so self destructive for so long, I’m honestly surprised sometimes that I’m still here.”

“Why did you get like that?” Harley asked before he could stop himself.

Before he could apologize, Tony started to answer. “Part of it is genetic. Looking back, my dad had a bit of a drinking problem, and I think his dad did too. Proclivity to addiction is hereditary. But I just used that as an excuse for a long time. I used every negative coping mechanism I could think of to avoid dealing with my grief over losing my parents, especially my dad, because that was so complicated for me. And I just got to the point where it was normal for me to drink and use drugs and sleep with everyone I could because I told myself that that meant I was in control when I really wasn’t.”

“Do you wish you had talked to someone sooner?”

“Yes,” Tony replied immediately. “I wish I had listened to Rhodey years ago. I went to rehab twice before I even turned twenty-one. He begged me to go see someone and get my shit together. But I convinced myself I didn’t need to. Maybe it was part of how my dad raised me, that that was weak and unnecessary, but I can’t blame everything on him. That’s the most important thing I’ve learned. The things he did caused a lot of my issues, but I’m responsible for my own actions. I made choices for years after he wasn’t even here any more, and that’s on me. Not him.”

Tony ran a hand through his hair as he tried to streamline his train of thought. “I’m not saying you’re in the same position as me. You’re not. But if I can do nothing else for you, let me be an example of what not to do.”

“You’re just saying that because of what I said to you that night,” Harley said, shaking his head.

“No, I’m saying that because it’s true. I was a mess for a long time. I’m better now, but I couldn’t just will it away. Pretending it wasn’t a problem doesn’t work, it just lets you create more problems. But you’re already literal decades ahead of me. You’re having a hard time, and you recognize that and want to try something that can help you. That only dawned on me when I realized I wanted Stephen to think I was something other than a train wreck.”

Harley furrowed his brow at that. “What do you mean?”

“I knew that if I was ever going to have a chance with him, I needed to figure some things out. I stopped drinking, started going to counseling, taking my medication like I know I need to. I should have been doing all of that a long time ago, but it took wanting to be with him to finally get me there.”

“Who knew Iron Man was such a sap,” Harley teased with a grin.

“No one would believe you if you told them,” Tony warned. “Except Stephen. And Peter. And Rhodey. Probably Happy, too.”

Harley laughed. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Thanks, kid,” Tony said, ruffling Harley’s hair as he got out of his seat to go back and attend to his abandoned coffee. “But whatever you want to do, just let me know how I can help, okay?”

“I will. Thanks, Tony.”

“Don’t worry about all that stuff,” Tony said, noting Harley looking around at all the leftovers. “Houdini will take care of it.”

“Hmm. That’ll be quite difficult, seeing as how he died in 1926,” Stephen remarked upon appearing in the kitchen.

Tony sighed. “Of course you know that.”

Later that night, Tony and Stephen retired to Tony’s room after watching a couple movies with Harley. Stephen had climbed into bed, clad only in boxers and a t shirt, while Tony remained standing next to his side of the bed, seemingly lost in thought.

“Tony,” Stephen said softly, getting the other man’s attention.

Before he could inquire, Tony spoke.

“Can we talk?” he asked suddenly. “I know you’re probably exhausted, but I talked to Harley this morning about last night, and it made me realize how hard I make it for you when I have a nightmare.”

“What are you talking about? That’s not true.”

“It is. Harley opened up to me, and I was able to help him. I think. But when I have a nightmare, I don’t talk to you about it. Because I can’t. But I can, right now. I’m fine. And I want you to know what they’re about so that you can better understand. You’re so patient, but I know it’s hard when you don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

“Tony, you don’t have to tell me what they’re about. I don’t need the details to be there for you.”

The brunette chewed his lip. “But I want to. I want you to know, to show you that I trust you.”

“Come here, honey,” Stephen said softly, pulling back the covers so Tony could get into bed next to him. Once he had, Stephen wrapped his arms around him tightly. “I know that you trust me,” he whispered in Tony’s ear. “You don’t have to tell me anything, but if you want to, I’ll listen.”

When he was eventually released, Tony looked into Stephen’s gray eyes. He swallowed hard as he nodded. “The worst ones are about Afghanistan.”

For close to two hours, Stephen listened calmly. Tony explained that the dreams would transport him back to that cave, his chest screaming at him in pain, every breath heavy with dirt and blood. Tears stung at his eyes while Tony recounted the torture he endured. The sleep deprivation. The beatings. The waterboarding. But Stephen remained resilient, knowing he had to be strong for Tony.

There were mentions of the Battle of New York. The portal Tony almost didn’t make it back from. Then Ultron, and the visions he saw.

Thanos. Titan. Losing Peter.

Losing Stephen.

Exhaustion wasn’t even close to describing the feeling that crashed over Tony when he made himself stop talking. He felt totally drained as he fell forward against Stephen, exhaling a shuddering breath into the other man’s neck. Stephen’s hands found their places in Tony’s hair and gliding up and down his back as soothingly as he could.

For a long time, Stephen didn’t say anything. He knew that at the moment, all Tony needed was physical contact. He needed a reminder that he wasn’t in that cave, or falling from the sky, or watching the people he loved blow away in the wind. He just needed to feel something other than pain.

“I love you,” Stephen finally said into Tony’s hair. “I love you so much, Tony. I know I can’t change what you’ve gone through, no matter how much I wish I could. All I can do is love you and try to make that enough.”

Tony moved away from Stephen’s shoulder so he could look him in the eye. “It is. It’s more than enough, Stephen. It’s everything. You’re everything.”

He kissed Stephen before the other man could reply. It was just a press of lips at first, but Stephen’s hand still in his hair allowed the taller man to deepen it when he felt it was right. They kissed slowly, attempting to let their emotions flow through it.

Because this was everything, for both of them.


	22. Chapter 22

“I need you to tell me what my dad said to you that day at the courthouse.”

Truth be told, Tony had been expecting this.

Almost an entire year had passed since the day Harley was referring to. Tony knew that going back to Tennessee would be hard for Harley, but hadn’t even thought of talking him out of it when the teenager asked him. Harley wanted to not only go to his dad’s grave site, but his sister and mother’s as well. They were buried in a different place, which Tony took Harley to first.

So now here they were, sitting in the car, looking through the windshield at where Jeffrey Keener was buried. Tony looked over at Harley, who was looking back at him with hardset blue eyes. When Tony didn’t reply, Harley started to make his case.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you told me, about your dad and how you forgave him. And that you realized you couldn’t blame stuff that happened after he was gone on him. So I just want to move on. But I can’t do that with this nagging at me all the time.”

“You think about it that much?” Tony asked quietly.

Harley nodded. “It made you sick, didn’t it?” Tony looked at Harley as if he couldn’t possibly know that. “You almost ran into the bathroom,” Harley explained. “Then Stephen went in after you, and you guys were in there for a while.”

“You should look into being a detective instead of an engineer, kid,” Tony sighed.

“How can I forgive him if I don’t know if he deserves it or not?”

Tony shook his head slowly. “You don’t forgive him because he deserves it. You do it because you do.”

For a few moments, Harley thought about that. He knew what Tony was saying. He knew that he wanted to do this for his own good, to move on more easily. But he knew he couldn’t do that without knowing everything, no matter how much it might hurt.

“I still need to know,” Harley almost whispered.

Tony swallowed hard. He nodded, more to himself than Harley before averting his eyes. He didn’t take any time to consider. There was no doubt in his mind that Harley was sure, he could see that clearly. And he knew that saying it was only going to get harder the longer he put it off.

“When he first came up to me, he asked if I was happy,” Tony said, recalling it as if it had happened yesterday. “He said he did what he did to you so that you would be tougher. I said you didn’t need to be tough, you needed to be protected. To be taken care of.”

A deep breath helped Tony to look back up at Harley.

“Then he said that he didn’t know why I went through so much trouble for... a fuck toy,” Tony finished, his voice breaking as he did so. He gave Harley a second before continuing. “That’s what he thought I wanted you to live with me for. I asked how he could let you go, thinking that I would hurt you like that. And he said to do whatever I wanted to you, because you deserved it.”

Lost was the only word that came to mind to describe the look on Harley’s face. Tony’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind screaming at him that he should have never told him what he just did. What good was that going to do? Hadn’t the physical abuse that man had inflicted upon his own son been enough?

In the midst of Tony’s internal turmoil, Harley finally responded.

“I’m so sorry,” he forced out around the lump in his throat. “I knew it was something like that for you to have been so upset. I shouldn’t have made you say that.”

“Are you glad I told you?” Tony asked. Harley still looked so lost. “Don’t worry about me. That’s not what I’m asking. Wishing I hadn’t had to tell you that isn’t the same as wishing I never had.”

Harley released a shuddering breath. “I’m glad I know,” he said quietly. “I had been thinking about what would have made him act how he did. That maybe his dad had been abusive, or if it was just the drugs. But now...he was just an awful person.”

Tony had to tear his eyes away again. “I should have told you back then. But I didn’t want that thought to even be in your head.”

“What thought?” Harley wanted to know, but before Tony could reply, it dawned on him. “You can’t think that I would have ever believed you would have done something like that.”

“I don’t know,” Tony admitted. “Not really, not when I think about it rationally. But that was hard to do at the time. I just wanted it all to be over and for you to feel safe.”

“I have never felt anything other than safe with you,” Harley said as soon as Tony had stopped talking. “That’s why I ran to you in the first place, because I knew you would help me.”

Tony ran a hand through his hair. “ I just wanted to protect you as much as I could.”

“ I know,” Harley said with a nod. “You’re really good at that. Probably the best.”

A short laugh made its way through Tony’s lungs. “Thanks, kid.”

Before too thick of a silence could settle, Harley cleared his throat. “I’ll uh, I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” Tony replied.

Harley got out of the car slowly and walked over to stand in front of his father’s headstone. It was simple, stating his name, when he was born, and when he died.  He found himself being grateful that his dad wasn’t buried near his sister and mom, who were in a different cemetery that Harley had visited the day two days ago when they had first arrived.

Still unsure of exactly what he wanted to say, Harley just started talking.

“ I wish I could have told you in person how much happier I am since I left here. I thought that you were all I had left when I lost them, but I never had you. You never wanted me, and that’s fine, because I got away. And I know you don’t care about any of this, but you got to say what you wanted to Tony that day, so now I get to say what I want. I know that I’m so much better off without you, and it doesn’t make me feel bad saying that. I don’t know what happened to you to make you so angry, but I’m not going to be like you. What you did to me won’t make me turn into you because Tony would never let me. He actually cares about me, he protects me.”

H arley took a few deep breaths and let them out slowly. “But  even  after everything, I don’t hate you. That’s not going to get me anywhere. I don’t understand why  it had to happen the way it did,  but I’m okay with that. I’m moving on. The reasons why  you did what you did don’t matter. All that matters is that I’m happy, and I’m safe. With Tony.  I don’t think I’ll ever come back here, so I wanted you to know that.” Another shaky breath. “I forgive you.”

The cold air blowing out from the vent in the car felt fantastic on Harley’s flushed face when he climbed back inside. He sank into his seat heavily, breathing deep.

Tony looked at him for a few moments. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Harley said, looking over at him with a tired smile. “I am. Let’s go home.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is now completely written, just a little editing to do. There's only a few chapters left to post!

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that something was off between Tony and Stephen. At first it seemed like they were just overly tired, but then Harley noticed they were always talking in hushed voices and were very clearly sad when they were with each other. Stephen spent less time than normal at the penthouse, and whenever he would have to leave, Tony’s eyes became distant and he withdrew into himself almost completely.

After an entire week of this new and strange behavior, it finally worried Harley to the point he had to speak up. They were sitting at the island, eating dinner in silence, when he finally snapped.

“What’s going on with you guys?” he asked suddenly. Tony and Stephen exchanged glances. “Did you break up or something?”

“No,” Tony answered a little too quickly. “There’s nothing wrong, not really.”

“What does that mean?” Harley wanted to know. “Something is going on. You’re both very bad at hiding whatever it is, and you’re freaking me out.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Stephen said. “We just haven’t figured it all out yet and were waiting to get it sorted before bringing it up.”

“Looks like that ship has sailed,” Tony muttered, mostly to himself. He looked over at Stephen for a moment before turning to Harley. “We’re not breaking up. But things are going to be a little different for a while.”

Harley’s mind began to race. Was one of them sick? In trouble? Did someone make a mistake and they were mad at each other, or considering ending things? There was no use pretending that Harley didn’t care deeply about their relationship. Stephen made Tony so happy, and Harley had grown very fond of the sorcerer. Them being together provided stability and consistency, in all of their lives.

“You’re aware that my responsibilities as Sorcerer Supreme take up a lot of my time. Most of my time, actually,” Stephen began by way of explanation. “And that makes it difficult for us,” he said, motioning between him and Tony.

“It’s not just him,” Tony added quickly. “The Avengers pull me away just as much.”

Stephen decided against arguing that point rather quickly. There was simply no use.

“It’s not a sustainable situation in the long run,” Stephen took over. “So we’ve been talking about solutions, and came to one.”

Harley swallowed hard. “What’s going to happen?”

“We’re both going to be scaling back,” Stephen answered when he realized Tony wasn’t going to. “At this point, the most important thing to us, aside from you, is our relationship. But we don’t want to just stop our work altogether either. My part is what makes it so complicated.”

“How?”

“I’ve talked to Wong, and the other sorcerers I work with. They were relieved when I brought up stepping down as Sorcerer Supreme. My affiliation with the Avengers isn’t a secret, and they don’t think my loyalties should be split. So they’re on board, and already know who they want to replace me. But it’s not a simple transition. There’s a lot I need to get done, not the least of which is training the new Sorcerer Supreme and helping with the switch at Kamar-Taj.”

“So instead of a few days here and there, he’s going to be gone consistently for a lot longer,” Tony said, the sadness evident in his voice.

Stephen nodded slowly. “It’s really the only way it can be done. It’s not going to be easy, but when it’s over, it’s going to be worth it.” He looked over at Tony to let him take the next part.

“We had been talking about moving in together,” the brunette supplied. “So that’s why we wanted to do this. But that’s obviously a conversation we need to have with you.”

“You practically live here already,” Harley replied, looking at Stephen. His eyes then flicked back to Tony. “Unless you mean we would move in with him?”

“No,” Tony said, shaking his head. “Stephen would move in here. We don’t want to change anything like that for you during your last two years of high school.”

Harley raised an eyebrow. “During? So this isn’t happening right now?”

“Jesus, we’re bad at this,” Tony sighed. “That’s where the complicated part comes in.”

“I’m going to be gone for a while,” Stephen jumped in. “I don’t know how long exactly, but at least a couple of months. The whole summer, really, and maybe even part of the fall.” He took a second. “Six months, at most.”

Harley blinked. “When you say gone, what does that mean?”

“I’ll be living at Kamar-Taj, but most of it will entail traveling to and stabilizing other dimensions. With the time difference, and time in general working differently elsewhere, I’m not going to be around. At all. I’ll call to check in whenever I can. But to do this right, that’s what I’m going to have to do.”

“For six months,” Harley finished.

“Hopefully less.”

The teenager looked at Tony, who was staring down at his plate. Harley could now understand why they had been acting the way they had for the last few days. Being able to move forward in their relationship should be exciting, but in order to do it, they had to go a very long stretch of time without seeing each other. Harley didn’t need to ask to know the thought was terrifying Tony. Stephen was making it all sound very routine, but Harley knew these missions were always dangerous, and he was doing that to ease both Tony and Harley’s nerves.

A stretch of silence that seemed like it was going to go on forever was finally snapped by Tony lifting his head and addressing Harley.

“We wanted to talk to you about Stephen moving in first before we got to how that would happen, but we got ahead of ourselves,” he said softly. “We didn’t mean to do this all at once.”

“This isn’t my decision to make,” Harley replied. “I want Stephen to move in with us, or whatever way it has to go.” He turned his attention to Stephen. “You’re not just my adoptive parents’ boyfriend. You’re part of our family. So if you can be around all the time, that’s what I want, and I know that’s what you guys want too.”

A wave of emotion flowed over Stephen at Harley’s words. “I wish there was an easier way,” he said softly as he put his hand on Tony’s leg under the table.

“Me too,” the other man admitted.

“So when will you leave?” Harley asked before another silence could settle over them.

“We haven’t gotten that far yet. Now that we’ve talked to you, that’s what’s next. But the sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back.”

Harley nodded slightly. “Is there anything I can do?”

“You can promise not to get sick of me,” Tony tried to joke, but it mostly fell flat.

Harley smiled anyway. “I think I can manage that. I’ve done it for years now, a few more months won’t kill me.”

There wasn’t much more talking as they ate the rest of their meals. Harley was quick to clear the plates from the counter, wanting do something helpful for the two men who were clearly having a hard time thinking of much else other than what was going to happen next. Once he had, Harley turned back to them, wiping his hands on his jeans.

“Is it okay if I go into the lab?” he asked. “Peter needs my help to beat a level on the new game we got.”

“Yeah, of course kid,” Tony said, almost on autopilot.

Harley didn’t have to worry about whether or not his made up excuse to leave them alone to talk was believed. He wished he knew what to say, but he didn’t, so he opted for giving them some space for the time being.

Tony’s head fell into his hands as soon as he heard the door to the lab close. “I really don’t want you to have to do this,” he said so softly Stephen almost couldn’t hear him.

“I know,” Stephen replied. “But it’s going to be worth it.”

“Not if you fucking die,” Tony choked out. His breathing was starting to turn harsh. “This is way more dangerous than what you usually have to do, which is already insanely dangerous. And if something happens to you I won’t even know...” he trailed off with a shuddering breath.

Stephen’s hand landed firmly on the back of Tony’s neck, but the other man kept his face buried. “I’m not going to die,” he said resolutely. He didn’t leave a beat for Tony to argue. “I’m not going to be alone, like I usually am on missions.”

Tony dropped his hands as he prepared for a rant. Stephen didn’t try to stop him, knowing that it might help keep a panic attack at bay.

“What if you cut ties with us? With the Avengers? We can stage a fake fight or something so they know you’re loyal to only them. And I can retire. I’ll stop being Iron Man, so it won’t matter that we’re together. That way you don’t have to give up who you are and won’t risk something awful happening.”

“I’m not giving up who I am,” Stephen said gently. “I’m focusing on what’s most important to me. You, and Harley. That’s all I care about.”

“I can’t let you do this,” Tony said, shaking his head. “It’s too risky. I can’t lose you.”

Stephen kept his grip on Tony’s neck as tightly as his fingers would allow. He looked Tony square in the eyes, keeping his gaze steady for a few moments while the other man took a few deep breaths.

“Tony.” Stephen’s deep voice cut through the anxiety buzzing through his head. “I’m coming back. I will come back to you. I promise.”

Words of protest died before making it to Tony’s lips. His brain screamed at him to argue, to make Stephen stay, to convince him that he was fine with how their relationship was and not a single thing needed to change.

But that would have been a lie.

They both wanted more. They wanted to wake up in the same bed every morning and make breakfast together. Stephen wanted to watch Tony rush Harley out of the house so he wouldn’t be late for school. Tony wanted to lay his head in Stephen’s lap on the couch while he was reading a book. They wanted the simple, normal things that neither of them thought they would ever have, especially after their lives were so drastically altered.

Looking into Stephen’s eyes, Tony knew he was going to be okay. That they were going to be okay. What Stephen was willing to do for them was astronomical. It was going to be hard, but Tony needed to force himself to stay strong. If not for himself, then for Stephen and Harley.

Tony’s hand fell on Stephen’s wrist, further grounding himself. Their earlier conversations started repeating in his head, about how they wanted to finally put their relationship first.

“I know you will,” Tony finally said, making himself ignore how broken his voice sounded. “I know this is what we both want, what we deserve.”

“That doesn’t make this any easier for you. That’s not lost on me at all.”

Tony huffed. “Sitting at home and waiting is nothing compared to running around countless dimensions making sure the multiverse doesn’t collapse in on itself.”

“You’re not sitting at home waiting,” Stephen countered. “You’re responsible for a multi billion dollar multinational company. You’re Iron Man, and an Avenger, which requires you to fight at least twice a week with Rogers. And Fury. Not to mention you’re in charge of a rather energetic seventeen year old kid.” He managed to move his hand despite Tony’s grip to brush his thumb across the other man’s cheek. “But there’s no one else on the face of this earth who can handle all of that. I am very well aware of how incredible you are. And I swear to you, I’m going to make this worth it.”

“It’s already worth it,” Tony breathed. “You’re worth it. I know that already. I’m just...I’m scared, Stephen,” he admitted softly.

“I know,” Stephen said before Tony could start listing the things he was scared of. No doubt most of them were the unfair product of his anxiety trying to get the best of him. “I’m scared too. But it’s the same kind of scared I felt the day I finally kissed you. The kind of scared that makes it clear that everything after this is going to be different.”

“Yeah, it is,” Tony agreed. “But in a really good way.”

Stephen smiled before tugging on Tony gently to close the gap between them. Their lips met perfectly, as if connected by magnets. The feeling spread much needed warmth throughout both of them instantly.

“Tell me again,” Tony muttered against Stephen’s lips. “Tell me you’re coming back.”

“I’m coming back,” Stephen said immediately. “I’m coming back to you. No matter what.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice long chapter containing a decent amount of angst, but mostly a whole lot of Tony and Harley just being Tony and Harley =)

No one said it was going to be easy. But no one said it was going to be this hard, either.

For what had to have been the hundredth time in the last six weeks, Tony told himself that everything was fine. He repeated to himself over and over that he was okay, that Stephen was okay. He refused to let that mantra in his head stop, for fear that he would be crushed under the weight of his anxiety.

But it wasn’t as if there were no silver linings. Even though Tony was well aware of the fact before Stephen’s departure, the current circumstances showed just how truly extraordinary Harley and Peter both were. It was as if Tony had written them a manual on what to do to help make him feel better, and they were executing it all perfectly. They asked how Stephen was when they knew Tony had heard from him, but didn’t bring him up other than that. Their constant energetic personalities were oftentimes contagious, but they could read the situation perfectly. If Tony wanted a quiet night, then they could tell, and that’s what they provided.

It was a point of pride for Harley that he was able to read Tony so well. It didn’t necessarily come as a surprise, but that didn’t make Harley any less enthusiastic to help. The trick, Harley learned, was in Tony’s eyes. The superhero had a very convincing smile, and an even more convincing arsenal of wise cracks. But his eyes never betrayed how he was truly feeling.

So when Harley saw that familiar look, he didn’t wait to make a move.

“Will you do me a favor?” Harley asked, flipping his textbook closed and looking up at Tony, who was starting to cook dinner.

“Probably,” Tony replied without taking his eyes off the vegetables he was cutting in front of him.

Harley smiled even though Tony wasn’t looking at him. “Will you teach me to fight?”

That got the older man to look up. “Fight who?”

“Just in general,” Harley said with a shrug. “I don’t mean to go around beating people up. For self-defense purposes, I guess. And so that when I threaten Peter for cheating in Mario Kart I can at least back it up a little.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but his smile gave him away. “You really want to learn?”

“Yeah,” Harley said with a nod. “It’s a good skill to have, right? You can’t ever be too careful.”

“I guess I can’t argue there. Just don’t tell Happy, okay?”

“Why not?”

“He’ll claim that he should be teaching you because he taught me everything I know and a bunch of other bullshit like that. I just don’t have the time to explain to him how wrong he is.”

After school the following day, they went down to the fitness floor of the tower, where they spent over two hours on the basics. Harley was a fast learner, so much so that on multiple occasions Tony accused Harley of sandbagging him and pretending he didn’t know how to box just to get some cheap shots in.

At Tony’s insistence, they want back upstairs to shower and change before dinner. Harley was scrolling through his phone as he walked out of his room, browsing their options, and was about to call through the billionaire’s open bedroom door to ask what he was thinking when Harley heard ragged breathing.

Harley found Tony collapsed against the wall next to the closet, knees hugged to his chest.

“Oh shit,” Harley swore as he knelt next to Tony. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Tony shook his head. “No...I’m fine.” Obviously a lie.

A sudden flashback to their first meeting hit Harley. Tony was having a panic attack. It had been a long time since he had seen this happen, and frantically tried to remember how to help him.

“Everything’s okay,” Harley said, keeping his voice as calm as he could. “You’re okay. Just breathe, that’s all you gotta do. Just breathe.”

Tony pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and groaned. “I’m sorry,” he gasped.

“Don’t be. It’s okay. You’re okay. Just take some deep breaths.”

In reality it took a lot less time than it felt to Harley for Tony to get his breathing under control. When he had, instead of dropping his hands, he tugged his fingers through his hair, still damp from his shower.

“I’m sorry,” Tony repeated. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. I was fine, all day, I swear. And then...” he trailed off to finally look up at Harley. “I saw Stephen’s sweatshirt in the closet. I just...I don’t know. It happens like that sometimes.”

Harley nodded slowly. “You don’t have to be sorry.”

“I don’t want you to be scared of me,” Tony admitted, swallowing hard. “Sometimes they just come out of nowhere.”

“The last thing I am is scared of you. I just wish I was better at this.”

“Just hearing your voice helps,” Tony replied.

“Didn’t my voice used to cause them all the time?” Harley joked.

Tony breathed a laugh. “I think the three bowls of candy you ate had more to do with it than your voice, kid.”

He held out his hand, and Harley got the hint, standing to help pull Tony to his feet.

“Let’s just order something,” Harley suggested. “We can stay in.”

But Tony was shaking his head as soon as Harley started talking. “No, I’m fine. I promise. I’ve locked myself away in the tower all week. I could use some fresh air.”

Harley looked at him for a moment to ensure he really was alright. “Burgers and shakes?” he offered.

The smile he got in return was nothing short of genuine. “Read my mind, kid.”

* * *

Three months. Ninety days. Somewhere in the back of Tony’s mind he was reminded that that was around how long he had been held captive in Afghanistan. He was thinking about whether or not Stephen was currently in that much danger instead of listening to the presentation Rogers was currently making on a topic Tony wouldn’t have been able to determine even if he tried. Which he wasn’t.

Buzzing in his pocket almost shot Tony clear out of his seat. He pulled his phone from his pants and was out the door of the conference room into the hallway before the second ring ended.

“Stephen,” Tony breathed more than said.

“Hi, Tony,” came the deep voice from the other end.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Back at Kamar-Taj for some...sleep.”

“You mean creepy astral projecting.”

“How are you? How’s Harley?” Stephen asked instead of defending himself.

“Fine. Harley’s good, really good. Starting to make a list of schools he wants to visit.”

They both knew these conversations were quick. Too quick. Filling each other in and talking as if they had seen each other yesterday helped make it easier. But not much.

“You’re letting him look somewhere other than MIT?” Stephen teased.

Tony huffed. “Only so he can realize it’s clearly the best choice.” Half a beat. “Seriously, you’re okay? Everything is going okay?”

“It is, I promise you. Exhausting, I can’t lie about that.”

“I can hear it in your voice.”

“I can hear it in yours,” Stephen agreed. “God, I miss you, Tony.”

“I miss you too,” Tony said so softly he was worried Stephen hadn’t heard him.

A sigh signaled he had. “I wish I could talk longer, or come see you, or-”

“I know,” Tony said, stopping him gently. “You have to save your energy. You’re going to need everything you’ve got when I get my hands on you again.”

Stephen chuckled in that way he had. He knew the suggestive joke was Tony’s way of keeping himself from breaking down in tears. Keeping them both from doing that, really.

“I’ll be home soon. It’s almost over. I promise.”

“I love you,” Tony said by way of response.

“I love you too.”

Tony was staring up at the fluorescent lighting above him, taking deep breaths, when the door flew open and he heard angry footsteps approaching. He didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“What the hell, Tony?”

The only reason Tony dropped his eyes from the lights to Rogers was to see which angry face he was currently using. He had expected angry-disappointed, but what he saw was angry-aggressive.

“You can’t blame me,” Tony said. “I didn’t make you give that god awful presentation.”

He tried to walk away, but Steve was faster. Broad shoulders were suddenly crowding Tony against the wall, blocking him in. A prickle of anxiety made its way up Tony’s spine, knowing all too well just how quickly Captain America can go from bad to worse.

“Get out of my way,” Tony said, keeping his voice even. He didn’t want to escalate the situation, he really didn’t.

Steve scoffed. “Everyone is in your way it seems. You can’t be bothered to even pretend that you still care about any of this.”

“I do care, but not more than I do about a few other things,” Tony corrected.

“Your boyfriend? Really, Tony? What are you, sixteen?”

Tony’s eyes hardened and his jaw set. Steve talking about Stephen in such a condescending way wasn’t sitting well with him whatsoever.

“Get out of my way,” Tony repeated, venom slipping into his tone this time around.

“You need to get out of your own way,” Steve retorted. Before Tony could laugh in his face, he set his hands on his hips. “I’m trying, actually making an effort. Only for you to constantly do whatever you can to undermine me.”

Tony shook his head in near disbelief. “This has nothing to do with you. I didn’t leave the meeting because you were boring me to death. I left because Stephen called. Because he’s stabilizing dimensions and other shit neither of us can even fathom. Because I haven’t seen him in three months.”

“That doesn’t give you the right-”

“No, you’re the one who doesn’t have the fucking right,” Tony spat. “You don’t get it. I know that you have a very low opinion of me, so it’s probably difficult for you to understand that I care about someone and they care about me. But it’s true. So if he calls me, I’m answering. Period. I’m not missing the chance to talk to him. He might be calling to say he’s not coming back, that I’m never going to see him again. He might be calling to say goodbye. I’m not missing the chance to hear his voice in case it’s the last time."

Steve was too committed to his anger to let Tony’s heartfelt words sink in. “You can’t ignore all of your other responsibilities because of that.”

“I haven’t ignored anything. I stepped out of one god damn meeting. And you know what? I don’t have to explain myself to you anymore. So get the fuck out of my way.”

A second or two more, and things could have really gotten out of hand. But Rhodey had been able to see tensions rising and made the executive decision to stop a fist fight from breaking out.

“Now might be a good time to get out of his face, Cap,” Rhodey suggested as he walked up to the two of them.

“Rogers,” Carol called from the doorway of the conference room. “You’re needed in here, not out there. Let’s go.”

Tony could see the irritation in Steve’s piercing blue eyes as they stared back at him. He wanted to argue, he wanted to fight. But he had played his hand too early when he said he was going to be a member of the team and go along to get along. So after shooting a glare at Rhodey, he turned and walked back across the hall to the meeting room.

As soon as the door closed, Rhodey turned back to Tony. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Tony sighed. “He just wanted me to know how much he disagrees with my general existence.”

“Not Cap,” Rhodey said with a frown. “I don’t give a damn what he thinks. I meant with Stephen. Is he okay?”

A wave of gratitude swept over Tony for his best friend of over thirty years. “He’s okay. Back at Kamar-Taj for some rest while he can get it. He said it’s almost over.”

“Good,” Rhodey said with a nod. He looked at the other man for a moment. “How are you doing?”

Tony let the wall behind him support most of his weight. “I’m okay. The most tired I have ever been in my life, I think, but okay.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I just want him back.”

“I know, Tones. I know.”

Tony quickly shifted gears and gave Rhodey his best puppy dog eyes. “Please tell me I don’t have to go back in there.”

Rhodey let out a short laugh. “No, you don’t. I actually think you should take some time away from all of this, focus on Harley and then spending time with Stephen when he gets back.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Are you putting me in a timeout?”

“I probably should have done that a lot over the years,” Rhodey mused, “but no. I want you to take a break, especially from this bullshit that we don’t need you for. If anyone has seniority to get out of this, it’s you.”

“Do you...want me out of this?” Tony asked hesitantly.

“No. No, that’s not what I mean.” Rhodey sighed and shook his head as he thought for a second. “I know that you’re used to dealing with everything all at once. That’s how it’s always been for you, and you can handle it. It’s like drinking out of a fire hydrant, and you make it look easy. But just because you can do it doesn’t mean you have to, or that you should.”

“Is it weird that I understood all of that perfectly?” Tony wanted to know.

Rhodey laughed again. “I would have been offended if you didn’t.”

Tony pushed himself off the wall and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m glad at least you get me. That’s all I really need.”

“Blessing and a curse,” the colonel said with a smile. “Seriously. I know it’s been tough for you lately, but I’ve never seen you this happy before. And I want that for you, to enjoy it. I know you can do both, and it doesn’t mean you’re not loyal to us. To me.”

“Rhodey, you could call me at three in the morning and ask me to grab you a Snickers from a gas station and I would. No questions asked.”

“I’ve never doubted that.”

For some reason, Tony resisted the urge to hug the other man in that moment. “So what are you suggesting? That you’re my handler now?” he said instead.

“Nah, I’ll leave that to Stephen,” Rhodey quipped. “But you’ll only have to deal with me for the time being. Maybe Carol a bit, or T’Challa.”

“Sign me the fuck up,” Tony said enthusiastically.

“Don’t make me regret this,” Rhodey warned, but they both knew it was a joke.

The hug didn’t get quashed this time. Tony pulled the other man into a strong embrace, clapping him on the shoulder as he did so.

“Thank you for reminding me how lucky I am that you put up with me.”

Rhodey smirked. “Just doing my job, Tones.”

Just over an hour later, Tony was pulling his black Audi up to Harley and Peter’s school, finding the former exiting the building at that moment. He all but ran to the familiar car, jumping in, barely getting the door open before he was peppering Tony with questions.

“What are you doing? Is everything okay? Did something happen? I thought you had a meeting? Did you get kicked out again? What’s going on?”

Tony looked at the exasperated teenager over his sunglasses. “Which one do you want me to answer first?”

“Is everything okay?!” Harley all but yelled.

Tony managed not to smile, knowing it would just make Harley mad. “Everything is fine. I heard from Stephen, he’s fine. Tired, but doing well.”

Harley released his breath. “Jesus. Okay, good. Don’t scare me like that.”

“How is picking you up at school scary?”

“Because you always tell me when you’re going to,” Harley pointed out. “What happened? You could have just texted me that. Did you finally get kicked out of the Avengers?”

“So little faith in me,” Tony sighed. “Seat belt,” he instructed as he started to drive back to the tower.

“Is that a yes?”

“It’s a no. I got into it a little bit with Rogers again,” Tony admitted. “But it wasn’t that bad. I stepped out to talk to Stephen and that pissed him off. Shocker. Everything is fine, though. Rhodey’s going to help me out with all of it so I don’t have to deal with most of it anymore.”

“Why do you fight with Captain America so much?” Harley asked before he could consider whether or not it was a good idea.

Tony sighed. “It’s a really long story, and not as interesting as it should be. We just always clashed, right from the get go. He knew my dad, they were friends before Cap got stuck in the ice. I guess I never lived up to his memory. And then with the Civil War...there was no coming back from that.”

The tone of Tony’s voice told Harley that he didn’t have the energy to get into it all right now, so he let it go. That wasn’t what was really important, anyway.

“So what did Stephen say?”

“That he’s tired, and was back at Kamar-Taj to rest. He said it’s almost over, and he’ll be home soon.”

Harley chewed his lip. “What do you think soon means?”

Tony shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure what it means in wizard time. He just needs to come back safe.”

Silence settled in the car as Tony started to get lost in his own thoughts. Harley’s nervous fidgeting next to him brought him out of it. He was able to withhold a sigh and stop himself from thinking about how much harder he’s made this on Harley the last few months.

“So what are we doing today?” Tony asked.

Harley looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, my day is suddenly very open, thanks to Rhodey kind of but not really kicking me out of that meeting. What do you feel like doing?”

“Will you teach me to drive?” Harley asked without really having to think.

Tony blinked. “How the hell haven’t I thought of that yet?”

“I know I don’t really need my license or anything,” Harley conceded with a shrug.

“Nonsense. This is a great idea.”

Bypassing the turn for the tower, Tony hopped on the highway to start heading upstate, away from the city. Harley looked around in surprise.

“Wait, you’re going to let me drive _this_ car?”

“Yeah?” Tony replied, surprised by the question. “What’s wrong with this car? It’s my favorite car.”

“That’s my point. It’s worth god only knows how much. I’ve never driven before outside of Mario Kart. What if I crash it?”

Tony smiled slightly. “Despite what I’ve seen occur in video games, I have faith in you, kid. You’re not going to crash it. I’m an excellent teacher. And if you do, I’ll just buy another one.”

There were no crashes during Harley’s first driving lesson. Tony had driven them to the compound, but they were nowhere near the main building. The various access roads leading to the hangars and other storage buildings were perfect places to start without any other traffic or obstacles around. As was the case with everything else, Harley caught on quick, and his initial nervousness at being in control of such a nice car wore away fast with Tony’s gentle instructions and consistent praise.

“Wanna drive us back to the city?” Tony asked, and immediately laughed at the flash of panic on Harley’s face. “Don’t worry, you’ll be comfortable with everything in no time.”

They exited the car to switch spots, Tony once again getting behind the wheel to take them back home. Halfway to the tower, Tony meant to ask what Harley wanted for dinner, but something else came out instead.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to work so hard to keep me sane these last few months,” he said softly, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him. “It should be the other way around, I know that. I don’t mean to let it get bad, but sometimes I just can’t help it.”

“I know you can’t,” Harley replied. “It’s not something you have to apologize for. I like that you let me help you,” he admitted with a small shrug.

“I wish you didn’t have to. I wish I could just be normal.”

“Well we both know you’ve got no chance at that.”

Tony breathed a laugh. “You’ve got a point there. I just...thank you, Harley. I really appreciate it. I would have lost it a long time ago if it weren’t for you.”

Even without looking at him, Tony could tell Harley was holding something back. He glanced over at the teenager a couple times before smiling, mostly to himself.

“You can ask me whatever it is you want to ask me.”

Harley wasn’t surprised anymore that Tony seemed to be able to read his mind. “It’s nothing.”

“I’m not going to have a panic attack and drive off the bridge, I promise,” Tony assured him. “You just want to understand, right?”

“Yeah,” Harley sighed with a nod. He considered for a second before he spoke. “I’m worried about Stephen, too. And I get worried about you when you have to go on missions, even though they’re usually quick. I know I’m just a kid, so I don’t have many problems but...it’s just not fair that you have such a hard time.”

“It’s not constant,” Tony assured him. “I’ve gotten better over the years. I wish there was a good way to explain it, but there really isn’t other than it’s just how my brain is wired. Chemical imbalances, trauma, destructive behavior. I set myself up to fail when I was young."

“But you haven’t failed,” Harley argued. “Especially with what you’ve had to go through.”

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Mostly mistakes, it feels like. But at least now I’m trying.”

“When did it start? Your anxiety?” Harley asked cautiously.

Tony looked over at him briefly. “When I met you.”

“Oh.”

“Fuck, no, I didn’t mean it like that. It was right after New York. All of a sudden there were aliens and portals and it felt like everything I ever thought I knew was wrong. I wasn’t sleeping, barely eating. Then the Mandarin happened and I ended up in Tennessee.”

“Did it get worse after that?”

“Not really, not until the Civil War. And then it was just...different, I guess. I got pretty good at hiding it, suppressing it as much as I could. Then it would hit me really hard, but it wasn’t that often.”

Harley wished he could just stop asking questions, but it seemed like talking was actually helping Tony.

“Was that better than how it is now?”

“No,” Tony answered immediately. “That way was awful. It was like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. It was stupid and reckless. I thought that I could train myself to make it a once in a while thing, because I was scared of it being part of my life. But it is. I can’t change that, it’s not something I can be cured of.”

“What does it feel like?”

“Sometimes when it’s really bad, it feels like I’m going to die.” Harley’s face paled, so Tony quickly continued. “But I know I won’t, because I’ve gone through it enough. My heart races and it’s hard to breathe. It’s not usually a full on attack, though. My stomach kind of hurts sometimes, and I feel restless and jittery. That’s how it’s been most of the time he’s been gone, because I can’t stop myself from thinking about something happening to him.”

A few moments passed before Harley said anything else. “You guys really freaked me out that day. I thought one of you was sick, or you broke up.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Tony said, but he was smiling ever so slightly.

“What?” Harley wanted to know.

“Nothing. I just like that you like him, that you guys get along so well.”

“Did you think we wouldn’t?”

Tony shook his head. “No. But to be fair, him and I didn’t get along at first either.”

“Really?” Harley inquired, grateful for the change in the conversation towards something that was making Tony smile.

“We argued the entire time, right from the get go. He did not like me at all. He called me a douchebag about five minutes in.”

“Were you being a douchebag?”

“Of course. But still, a little rude don’t ya think?”

Harley laughed. “I’m sure you were a perfect gentleman the entire time.”

“I was actually kind of scared of him,” Tony admitted. “I didn’t know him at all, and he was obviously very powerful. I’m not the biggest fan of magic. But I knew I could trust him, and that I didn’t really have much choice at the time.”

“So it wasn’t love at first sight?” Harley teased.

“Not even close. But we came a long way fast. After Pete and I got him away from Squidward I knew we were lucky he was with us.”

They were nearing home, but Harley didn’t seem to notice. “Do you think you guys will get married?”

That got Tony to look over at him for a second. “I don’t know. We’ve never talked about it.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” Tony said again. “Probably because of how complicated its all been. I’m not opposed to it. But that would be assuming he doesn’t get sick of me once we’re living together and finally comes to his senses."

It was meant to be a joke, Harley knew that. But he also knew there was also a touch of insecurity and self-deprecation that Tony just never seemed to be able to ignore.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Harley said definitively, leaving no room for argument from Tony.

The older man decided to leave it at that.


	25. Chapter 25

For the first time in a long time, Tony didn’t feel like doing much of anything.

It was a dreary fall day. Cold and rainy. He had just returned from dropping Harley and Peter off at school. Originally, he had planned on getting some work done in the lab, maybe going downstairs for a work out. But as he walked back into the penthouse, which was mostly dark and quiet, he just didn’t feel like it.

Which was a good thing, as it turned out.

Before making some coffee, Tony decided to go into his room and change into sweatpants. He pulled on his favorite pair, leaving his jeans discarded on the floor by the closet.

He was two steps from the bedroom door when the portal opened right next to him.

Stephen didn’t exactly walk through. It was more of a controlled fall. Right into Tony.

The shorter man didn’t catch him so much as he was standing in the right place at the right time. Once his shock had settled, he managed to get his arms around the sorcerer and support his weight to keep them both from toppling to the floor.

“Oh my god,” Tony exhaled. “Stephen.”

“Hi,” came a muffled reply as the aforementioned sorcerer nuzzled into Tony’s neck.

He was absolutely freezing. Tony could feel the trembling throughout his entire body in addition to the chill that was coming off of him. He managed to get them over to the bed, where he sat down with Stephen next to him.

“Are you hurt?” A shake of the head was his only response. “Why are you here? Is everything okay?”

“I’m home,” Stephen answered, an exhausted smile on his lips. “It’s done, it’s all done. So I came home.”

Tony was pulling Stephen against him before the other man had finished speaking. He held him tightly, hoping he could stop the incessant shaking.

“Thank god,” Tony whispered, gripping Stephen with everything he had. He pulled back reluctantly after a moment, his brain reminding him that it felt like he was hugging an ice cube. “What’s wrong? Why are you so cold?”

“The Hell Dimension is actually covered in ice,” was the explanation.

“Saved that one for last, huh?”

Stephen shook his head slowly. “No, that was one of the first ones. But I had to go back.”

Tony noted Stephen’s eyes glassing over and his face paling even more than it already was. “Stephen?”

“I’m sorry,” Stephen muttered as he rose to his feet unsteadily. “I didn’t want to wait to see you so I just came back. I thought it would be fine because I was already there.”

“Thought what would be fine?” Tony asked. He was now standing as well, holding Stephen firmly by his shoulders.

The sorcerer sighed. “I’m going to be sick.”

Additional inquiry could wait. Tony wasted no time getting Stephen into the bathroom, helping him balance as he fell to his knees and ultimately proved himself right. Tony kept a hand rubbing his back and the other running through his hair.

Now, Tony was no doctor, but the sight before him made his heart jump into his throat. Even through his own drunken exploits, Tony had never seen anyone get sick this much. Just when he was about to tell FRIDAY to call an ambulance, Stephen took several deep breaths and straightened his back.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated before falling back into Tony. “I didn’t want to go back to Kamar-Taj to level out. I wanted to come here, to see you.”

“It’s okay,” Tony promised, wrapping his arms around Stephen. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

Stephen let his eyes fall closed. “Everything hurts,” he admitted softly.

That was enough of a directive for Tony to get moving.

Before Stephen realized what had happened, he was submerged in perfectly hot water swirling around him thanks to the jets outfitted in the tub. It wasn’t as big as the one in Portugal had been, but it certainly got the job done, and allowed for Tony to join him. He situated himself behind Stephen after collecting a few items.

“Is the water okay?” A weak nod. “Keep your hands here, not too close to the jets,” Tony instructed softly while he carefully moved Stephen’s hands to rest on his own knees.

The tension in Stephen’s muscles was more than obvious. So Tony set to work.

Using a very pleasant smelling vanilla lavender oil, Tony methodically massaged every part of Stephen he could reach. His neck, shoulders, biceps, thighs. After a while, the lanky man in front of him began to almost melt into the water.

“Stay awake for me, honey,” Tony said into his ear. “I’m not going to be able to get you out of here if you fall asleep on me.”

Stephen hummed, but made no other response. Tony knew he wasn’t in the position to at the moment. And that was okay.

Tony’s fingers had long ago wrinkled completely, but he didn’t slow in his ministrations. He repeated the process over Stephen’s entire body several times until he was sure he had rubbed away every last knot as much as he was going to be able to. Hot water had to be added to the tub five times during their session, making Tony wonder if there had ever been a time he had been more grateful for FRIDAY being able to read the situation perfectly and react without having to be instructed each time.

Left for last were Stephen’s hands. The ache in his own chest was of no consequence to Tony. He barely even noticed it. All he cared about was Stephen.

Kisses were pressed across Stephen’s shoulder as Tony carefully worked through the spasms in Stephen’s hands. He moved his lips across Stephen’s back, up and down his neck, keeping constant contact as he undid the cramps in the fragile fingers.

When Stephen laced their hands together and leaned completely back against Tony, a wave of emotion swept through him. Tony was finally able to fully comprehend the fact that he was back. Stephen was back, he was safe, he was right here.

“I missed you so much,” Tony mumbled into Stephen’s skin.

Stephen had so little energy left, it was a miracle he was able to speak at all. “I needed to see you.”

Before he started to slip away, Tony decided to get them out of the tub. It was no easy feat to dry Stephen off and get him dressed warm enough to get into bed. Boxers, sweatpants and a t shirt were at least easier to get on than his robes had been to get off. Tony wasn’t even sure if the clothes they were now wearing were their own, not that it mattered in the slightest.

Tony helped Stephen drink an entire bottle of water before they settled into bed. Stephen immediately wrapped himself around Tony, making the latter laugh softly. He was surprised that Stephen’s long legs were able to configure themselves that way.

“I’m sorry I showed up like this,” Stephen said into Tony’s chest as the brunet wrapped his arms around Stephen’s shoulders. “I couldn’t wait.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m so happy you’re here, baby,” Tony assured him with a kiss to his hairline.

Stephen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You don’t have to stay. I’ll pass out soon and-”

“It’s Friday morning,” Tony interrupted him gently. “It’s almost ten. Harley is at school. He has a Spanish test today. I helped him study last night. It’s October 23rd. It’s going to rain all day. You’ve been gone just shy of five months. I’m not going anywhere.”

Tony knew that information like that helped to ground Stephen after returning, much the same as it helped himself after an anxiety attack. While he had never seen Stephen quite like this before, he knew he was going to be okay. FRIDAY was displaying Stephen’s vitals, and everything was stable.

“I’m staying right here,” Tony said, kissing the top of Stephen’s head. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Tony hadn’t exactly heard it clearly, but he knew that’s what Stephen had said. He ensured the blankets were securely around them, keeping the warmth in as Stephen’s breathing began to deepen and even out.

Before the tears had slipped from Tony’s eyes, Stephen was fast sleep in his arms.

* * *

A soft blue light flashing on his phone told Tony that Harley was on his way up to the penthouse, even though there had been no communication between him and FRIDAY since Stephen had fallen asleep. There didn’t need to be. Tony just knew.

A few hours after slipping into what Tony would have said was unconsciousness, Stephen had stirred slightly and started shifting against Tony. It seemed as though he might be too warm, which Tony could guess easily enough at how he himself felt. So he let Stephen go, releasing his hold on him and watching as he shuffled slightly and settled back into the pillows with his hand still on Tony’s stomach. The genius rested his own hand on Stephen’s elbow, providing whatever presence he could.

That was how Tony was able to easily slip out of bed when Harley was coming up. He knew that his absence would have worried the teenager and sent him looking throughout the penthouse, and he wanted to avoid waking Stephen up.

Harley’s face showed a mixture of concern and confusion at seeing Tony emerge in sweats, looking like he just woken up.

“Are you sick?” Harley asked, but the smile on Tony’s face told him it hadn’t been necessary to even ask.

“Stephen’s back.”

Harley’s own smile broke out onto his face. “He is?! Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, but exhausted. He’s been sleeping all day.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Harley demanded.

“Because he was a little sick when he came back,” Tony offered. “So he needed my help. And you were at school, and had a test, and he needed to sleep anyway. I don’t think he’s going to be up any time soon.

“You spoke too soon yet again, Stark.”

Sleep had made Stephen’s voice even deeper, but there was no mistaking it. He shuffled his way down the hallway to where Tony and Harley were turning to look at him in surprise.

“Stephen!” Harley all but yelled as he crossed to the sorcerer and hugged him without hesitation.

“Did you get taller?” Stephen pondered as he returned the embrace.

“We’re not talking about it,” Tony answered. His heart swelled and felt as if it just might burst in his chest at the sight before him.

Harley stepped back to look up at Stephen. “I’m sorry, did I wake you up? I didn’t mean to. Genius over here didn’t even tell me you were back.”

“No, you didn’t,” Stephen said, smiling. “My stomach did.”

“Are you alright?” Tony asked. He searched Stephen’s eyes for signs that he was going to be sick again.

“I’m fine, just very hungry and thirsty.”

Tony nodded. “Soup and tea?”

“Chicken noddle?” Stephen asked almost shyly. “I’ve been craving it for so long, you have no idea.”

“Of course,” Tony said with a smile. “Harley?”

“Yes, please. I can help you.”

“Nah, it won’t take long. Go ahead into the living room, I’ll be right in.”

Making his way into the kitchen, Tony started to pull the vegetables out of the fridge after starting the tea kettle on the stove. He smiled when he heard Stephen and Harley settle onto the couch.

“Alright, tell me everything,” Stephen requested.

“Me? You’re the one who’s been running around in other dimensions. I don’t have anything as interesting as that.”

“What about schools? Where are you looking?”

Tony managed to force himself to take his time and not try to rush through making the soup to get back to Stephen. Hearing his voice was enough for right now, and the thought that they would have all the time they wanted from now on was an indescribable feeling.

It was easy for Tony to see the change some sleep had on Stephen. There was some color in his cheeks from the bath and warm bed, and his eyes were much clearer than they had been earlier. But there was still no mistaking he was still very weak and tired, and probably would be for a few days.

Along with the freshly made soup and Stephen’s tea, Tony brought in bread and crackers, with sodas for him and Harley. The teenager was still telling Stephen about what him and Peter had been up to over the summer and the last few months while he had been away. Tony watched as Stephen wrapped his trembling hands around the bowl of soup, and would have offered to help him eat if he had thought there was any chance of Stephen accepting. Certainly not in front of Harley.

Stephen ate all of his soup, but didn’t touch the bread or the crackers, and only drank a little of his tea. While Harley was in the kitchen getting himself another bowl, Tony stretched his hand out and fluffed his fingers through Stephen’s hair lightly.

“Water?” he asked.

Stephen nodded. “I can get it.”

His response was futile, however. Tony was up and moving to the kitchen before Stephen had even finished speaking. He smiled after the other man, wondering to himself how to express how grateful he was to come home to them.

The water was refreshing, but Stephen drank it a little too fast. His stomach protested slightly, not used to the sudden influx of sustenance. The faint ache reminded him of how tired he was, which was only exacerbated by the gradual darkening of the light outside thanks to the persistent clouds and sun beginning to go down.

Several minutes had gone by without Stephen really being aware of them. He hated this part of coming back. Drifting in and out of awareness could be scary. As much as he wanted to sit and talk with Harley and Tony, maybe watch a movie, Stephen knew he just couldn’t.

Apparently, so did Tony. In a span of a few moments where Stephen’s head was swimming, Harley had brought the dishes to the kitchen and disappeared. Maybe to his room, or the lab, or out somewhere with Peter and his friends. All Stephen was sure of was that he was staring into Tony’s eyes, and god, how he had missed this man.

“Let’s go to bed,” Tony said softly, a hand cupping Stephen’s jaw.

“Have you been sleeping?” Stephen asked, putting his hand over Tony’s.

A tired smile accompanied his answer. “Some nights were better than others.”

To stop an apology, Tony gently pulled Stephen to his feet and lead him down the hall, to what was now their bedroom. Stephen crawled into bed without any further prompting, and all but latched back onto Tony as soon as the other man was within reach. He pulled back almost as quickly, however, to seek out those brown eyes again.

“Thank you,” he said simply, knowing Tony understood.

“I love you,” was the reply.

Stephen met Tony halfway, their lips finally  connecting after so much time apart. It was soft and slow, without a hint of desperatio n or the need to hurry. Despite having just eaten, all they could taste was each other.

T rembling fingers situated themselves into Tony’s hair. “I’m okay,” Stephen assured.

“Do you need to do the astral projection thing?” Tony asked quietly.

Stephen shook his head slowly. “You hate that.”

“I hated waking up in the middle of the night and thinking you were dead and your ghost was hovering over me,” Tony retorted. “And I hate seeing you like this. You’re fading in and out really fast, honey.”

“I’m okay,” Stephen repeated. “I promise. I just need you.”

It was a short exchange, but it depleted the last of Stephen’s energy. His eyes fluttered closed on their own accord, and the deep breath he attempted to take ended in a sigh.

T he feel of chapped lips brushing against his cheek was the last thing Stephen remembered before falling into a deep sleep against the man he loved. 

Tony wasn’t able to fall asleep for a long time. He held Stephen as tightly as he could without feeling like he would wake the other man. The comforting weight and warmth from the other man’s body effectively quashed all of the pent up tension and anxiety Tony had felt for the last five months. Having Stephen in his arms made everything else go away.

Eventually, he drifted off more than fell asleep. There was no way to know what time it was when Stephen roused him with his deep, sleep laced voice.

“Tony?”

The engineer was fully awake instantly, and would have sat upright if Stephen hadn’t still been half on top of him.

“Are you okay? What do you need?” Tony asked as his heart threatening to burst out of his rib cage.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Stephen replied, his voice gentle and soothing. “I’m sorry I woke you up. I know I’ve been out of it since I came back, and I just need to tell you something.”

Tony shifted enough so that his arms were still around Stephen, but they could look at each other to the best of their ability in the dark.

“Okay,” Tony breathed. “Whatever you need.”

Stephen wasted no time beginning. “I thought about you every second of every day. There was never a time when you weren’t on my mind. All I wanted was to be here, with you, just like this. I missed you so much that it physically hurt.”

With no air remaining in his lungs, Tony couldn’t reply. He lifted his hand to rest on the side of Stephen’s face. The sorcerer smiled and nuzzled into the touch.

“I just need you to know that I’m very much hopelessly in love with you.” Stephen’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “Remember in Portugal, when we showed each other how we felt?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah,” he sighed more than said.

“I wish I could show you. When I have the energy again, I will. But that feeling isn’t even close anymore. This was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do, to be away from you for so long. And I know how hard it was for you. I just need you to understand that I did it because of how much I love you.”

“I know,” Tony said, talking over the end of Stephen’s declaration. “I know that you did this for us, and I’ll never be able to repay you.”

To stop a retort, Tony pressed his lips to Stephen’s firmly. The arm around Stephen’s waist adjusted so Tony’s hand slid to Stephen’s hip, pulling their bodies even closer as he kissed the other man thoroughly.

“I’m still going to try,” Tony mumbled against Stephen’s lips. “Every day, I swear to god, I’m going to love you like you deserve. I promise, Stephen.”

W ords simply weren’t going to do it anymore. Another long kiss followed, but Tony was able to pick up on the exhaustion clinging to Stephen’s body. So they settled back against each other, letting the feel of each other do the rest for now. 

* * *

At Tony’s insistence, Stephen took it easy over the next few days. He gave up trying to constantly convince Tony he was just fine and decided to take advantage of having a lot of downtime to spend with the other man. While Harley was at school, they would spend most of their time either staying in bed, or relocating to the couch.

Stephen found there were worse things in the world than being wrapped up with Tony under blankets for a majority of the day.

The fact that Tony was able to act so perfectly around him was nothing short of amazing to Stephen. He was talkative and quiet at the right times, always being attentive. He didn’t push Stephen to recount every single thing that happened, no matter how much Tony might have wanted to know each detail.

In the afternoon and at night, they hung out with Harley and often times Peter. There were a few times Stephen felt overwhelmed with affection towards the three of them and wondered how the hell he managed to spend so much time away.

Despite his assurances otherwise, it took Stephen almost two full weeks to feel back to normal. Going to Kamar-Taj between stints in dimensions to level out, as he called it, and rest by astral projecting until his body was recovered enough to have his soul back in it had been very important. But he wasn’t willing to do that on the last go around because he was too impatient to see Tony. Spending a few days getting back under control wasn’t worth it.

He had waited long enough.

Which was how he felt as he kissed Tony deeply in their bed, his trembling hands exploring the firm body on top of him as if it were the first time he had ever been able to touch the other man. Tony seemed intent on keeping things slow and reserved, but Stephen wasn’t in agreement with that. He arched up against Tony, raising his hips off the mattress to create as much contact as he could. Tony’s lips left his so that they could breathe, and he moved back enough to look down at Stephen. He reached up and brushed the hair off Stephen’s forehead before moving to kiss across his jaw.

It’s not that Stephen didn’t appreciate the tenderness. He did. That was one of the things he loved the most about Tony. But five months was a long, long time. And he could feel the desire radiating off Tony as much as he could feel it in himself.

So he made the executive decision to roll them over quickly, hoping to convey to Tony that he was more than on board for things to heat up. The older man got the hint, but didn’t fold that easily.

His hands moved to frame Stephen’s face, now above him. “Tell me what you want, baby,” he breathed against Stephen’s lips.

“You.”

Simple. Straight forward.

“You’ve always had me,” Tony replied. “I’m yours.”

Maybe it was Tony’s words, or his tone of voice. Maybe it was both. But Stephen suddenly couldn’t speak, couldn’t articulate anything more verbally. And he knew he didn’t have to, because Tony was looking at him with complete trust and adoration in his eyes.

So Stephen decided to show him how he was feeling. His lips didn’t leave Tony’s body for more time than it took to remove the clothes from the other man with no concern for his own at the moment. Having Tony laid out underneath him was damn near intoxicating, and he couldn’t get enough of it.

Tony’s breathing picked up the lower Stephen moved down his body. His fingers threaded through his hair, trying not to tug just yet. Stephen appeared to be having a hard time deciding between ravishing Tony and taking his time to savor each and every second. He was doing a good job devoting time to each method.

With Stephen’s mouth around him, Tony saw stars. The sensation was almost too much. He tried as hard as he could to keep his eyes open, but when Stephen flatted his tongue and ran it along his entire length, Tony didn’t stand a chance.

By sheer force of will, Tony was eventually able to reverse their positions. His heart clenched at each new scar he found on Stephen’s body, but he was able to keep those feelings at bay and focus on making Stephen feel good. If the noises coming from the sorcerer were anything to go by, he was doing a good job.

The shaking in Stephen’s hands lead Tony to try to start prepping himself, but he was stopped before he could begin.

“I’m okay,” Stephen assured him. “I need to feel you, Tony. You have no idea.”

“I think I do,” Tony argued before kissing Stephen hard.

It was everything Tony could do to keep from coming from Stephen’s fingers inside him. He knew this closeness was nothing compared to what was to follow, but after so many months of not having this, it felt like his entire body was being set on fire.

When Stephen finally pushed into him, Tony wrapped his legs around his waist and did everything he could to pull him deeper.

“Stephen,” he moaned loudly, somewhere in the back of his mind being thankful Harley was at Peter’s for the night. “God, baby, don’t stop.”

“You feel so good,” Stephen praised. He let his head fall forward and buried his face against Tony’s neck.

He rocked into Tony more than anything. Stephen could feel Tony’s breath cascading over his shoulder and down his back as they clung together. It wasn’t until Tony started nipping at his ear that Stephen lifted his head, moving so he could claim Tony’s lips with his own.

Between their bodies, Tony’s hand got to work on his own neglected erection. He stroked himself steadily while doing his very best to make this last. But it couldn’t go on forever, no matter how much they both wanted it to.

“I’m so close,” Tony almost whined into Stephen’s mouth. “I fucking love you, Stephen.”

“I love you,” Stephen agreed, trapping Tony’s bottom lip between his teeth briefly. “Come with me, Tony.”

They didn’t black out, not quite, but their orgasms ripped through them as intensely as any ever had. Stephen stood no chance of holding himself up and could only do his best to shift to the side to let at least half of Tony’s chest take in air. The other man didn’t complain, and only tried to pull Stephen tighter to him.

It took several minutes for their heart rates to slow. Once Tony got his breathing back under control, his lips found Stephen’s shoulder, moving across the sweaty skin up to his neck. Stephen shuddered at the feeling, just shy of becoming oversensitive as he started to soften inside Tony’s body. He pulled out slowly, feeling goosebumps break out across Tony’s flesh.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to be able to do that,” Stephen sighed into Tony’s hair.

“I really wish I had the energy to yell at you for apologizing,” Tony replied. “You’re back. You’re safe. There’s nothing else I care about.”

“I care about you,” Stephen hummed as he let himself fall to the bed beside Tony, still cuddled up against him.

A soft chuckle accompanied Tony’s hand trailing up Stephen’s side. “You just wasted all the energy you got back the last couple weeks.”

Stephen looked at Tony sleepily, but his eyes were clear. “I certainly do not consider that a waste, by any stretch of the imagination.”

Tony was still smiling as he pressed his lips to Stephen’s. “I love you, goofball.”

“Not as much as I love you,” Stephen promised.

“It’s a competition now, is it?”

“Yes. Because I’ll win. Easily.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, there, Merlin.”

Stephen’s hand curled around Tony’s. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and forth a bit on what to do with this chapter. I'm not thrilled with the pacing, and it should have been two chapters at least, if not three. But because it all focuses mostly on just Tony and Stephen, I wanted to keep it all together so as not to flush out Harley too much. 
> 
> Only two chapters left! They should both be up this weekend. Thanks again for all of the feedback!


	26. Chapter 26

“I can’t help but think this would go a lot smoother if you just told me what you’re thinking as opposed to having the conversation with yourself in your head.”

Tony craned his neck so he could look up at Stephen. He was lounging against the taller man, back pressed to his arm, legs outstretched as he worked on his tablet. The sorcerer was reading a book behind him, but had apparently been able to sense Tony’s growing restlessness.

“Why don’t you just read my mind?” Tony grumbled, but with no heat behind his words.

“You know that I can’t,” Stephen reminded him. “So whenever you want to fill me in.”

Before Stephen had even finished speaking, Tony was swinging his legs to the floor and all but spinning on the couch to turn and face him. He was greeted with a satisfied smirk, to which Tony tried to glare, but was unsuccessful.

“Do you still want to go to Alaska?”

Stephen blinked. “Yeah,” he replied simply, knowing there was more to it than just that.

“Okay, so I was thinking, maybe we should go for Christmas. With Harley, and May and Peter. I know that we talked about it as a trip for us, but that was before everything changed, and you moved in. We don’t have to go away to spend time together anymore. Not that I don’t want to go on vacation with just you again, but I thought it would be really fun, and May and Peter deserve it, too. He’s going to college next year and it might be the last time we can do something like this so I thought-”

“Yes.”

Tony caught his breath. “Yes what?”

“We should do that. We should definitely do that.”

“Really?” Tony asked, but he was already smiling.

“Show me the house you want to rent,” Stephen said by way of response.

Instead of Tony trying to say he hadn’t even been looking, he pulled up the website on his tablet and started showing Stephen the pictures. He explained that there were tons of festivals and events for the holiday season, and the house he had found was the perfect size for the five of them and within walking distance to downtown Anchorage. There was also a nearby state park and plenty of shops and restaurants.

“This is perfect,” Stephen said, unable to take his eyes off the screen. “How long can you get the house for?”

“A week, ten days, whatever we want,” Tony replied. “I thought we could go the Sunday before Christmas and leave a few days after. It depends on how much time May can get off from the hospital.”

As it turned out, May getting time off wasn’t the issue. She was one of the few employees who hadn’t ever requested vacation time during Christmas, and was one of the more senior nurses, so her boss was happy to give her the time to spend with her nephew. It was getting her to agree to let Tony do this for them that was the problem.

“It’s too much,” May said, shaking her head. “You already set up that account for Peter’s college, which I would have fought you on too, but he deserves to go to the school that he wants.”

“And he earned that money,” Tony added.

“How? Your internship program? Don’t start with me, Stark.”

Tony held up his hands and tried not to smirk. “Good point. Let’s stay focused on why you’re coming to Alaska with us.” When May opened her mouth to continue to argue, Tony cut her off. “If you don’t want to, then just say that. Don’t say it’s too much, because you know for me, it’s not. But I understand that the thought of spending a week with me is daunting, so if that’s the reason, then fine.”

“You know that’s not why,” May said, rolling her eyes at him. “I can’t let you pay thousands of dollars to take us on this trip. It doesn’t matter that you’re a billionaire, you’ve already done so much for us and I will not take advantage of you.”

“How is it taking advantage of me when it was my idea?” Tony asked. “I know it’s a dick thing to say, but the money is literally of zero consequence to me. You work harder than anyone I know. Peter is a close second. I love you both, and want you guys to come spend Christmas with us in Alaska. So do Harley and Stephen. But if you don’t want to, then we’ll all stay here.”

“No,” May said, shaking her head, “don’t do that. Don’t put this all on me. You guys can go without us-”

“Nope, we can’t. We spend Christmas with you every year. I’m not changing that. I just want to do it in Alaska.”

May threw her hands in the air. “Do you have any idea how infuriating you are?” she demanded.

“I’ve been made aware,” Tony said, not even close to being able to hide his smirk now. “Stephen is very good at making sure I don’t forget that.”

“You guys are so cute together,” she sighed. She dropped her hands to her sides in defeat. “Okay. But if I say yes, you have to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“No. Christmas. Presents.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “I mean it. No pile of stuff for us under the tree. The trip is the present, got it?”

Tony nodded. “Deal. Whatever you say.”

“Why do I have the feeling you aren’t going to stick to that?”

“Me? Go against my word?” Tony said, holding a hand to his chest dramatically. “Where would you have ever gotten that idea?”

Before May could answer that, Tony pulled her into a hug. “Thank you for letting me do this.”

“Thank you for not telling Peter beforehand and using him as ammunition.”

Tony laughed. “Can’t say I didn’t fight fair.”

* * *

There was never a doubt in May’s mind that agreeing to this had been the right decision, especially for Peter. But seeing just how happy everyone was, even just on the plane, really sealed it.

The house was even more beautiful than it was in the photos. It was designed to look like a log cabin, but with a modern touch. The two floors provided plenty of space for all of them. The best feature was on the ground floor where the open floor plan of the kitchen lead into the living room. A large stone fireplace was in the middle of the back wall, which was mostly windows, and looked out over a snow covered frozen lake.

Exploring the city was everyone’s favorite part. The boys loved the festival, and made it a point to try every snack stand they could find. They went down every street, and seemingly into every shop they came across. At night the lights strung up everywhere sparkled off the snow, making everything look like it was surrounded by magic.

Soon enough it was Christmas Eve. May and Tony were in the kitchen working on dinner while Stephen ran circles around Peter and Harley in a game of cribbage over by the fire. May looked up as she heard Peter laughing uncontrollably. Tears welled in her eyes, almost overwhelmed with how perfect this all was.

“You know how much I hate admitting it when you’re right,” she teased as she turned to Tony. “But this was the best idea you’ve ever had, I think.”

Tony smiled warmly. “I’m glad I got you to come to your senses.”

Despite everyone eating more than their fair share at dinner, Harley and Peter took it upon themselves to ensure dessert was forthcoming. They insisted they needed no guidance other than Google, and set to work making cookies. A decent amount of the dough was eaten prior to being cooked, but that was simply part of the process, they assured the adults.

With the coffee table covered in plates of cookies, glasses of egg nog, and mugs of hot chocolate, they all settled by the fire in the living room and began the debate of which Christmas movies to watch.

“Just because it takes place on Christmas doesn’t make it a Christmas movie,” Stephen argued.

Tony scoffed. “Do you even hear yourself? Die Hard is probably the best Christmas movie ever made. Why are you such a Scrooge?”

“How many people does he kill in that movie?” Stephen asked. “That’s the vibe you want on Christmas?”

Tony muttered something under his breath, but before Stephen could inquire, Peter was able to settle everything.

“Christmas Vacation is the only way to go. No one can argue with that.”

“I’m sure Stephen – hey! Hands to yourself, wizard!” Tony exclaimed, wrapping his hand around Stephen’s to prevent the sorcerer from pinching him again.

Their hands somehow remained intertwined while they watched the movie, and even managed to stay that way during the next one, which was unanimously decided on being The Grinch.

“Look, Stephen, it’s you,” Tony teased when the Grinch appeared on screen.

Further comment was stopped by Stephen kissing Tony, hard, much to the dismay of Harley and Peter.

Hours later, at three in the morning, Stephen followed Tony back downstairs to put out the presents they had been keeping in the attic.

“May is going to be so mad at you,” Stephen whispered as he placed the last one under the tree.

Tony’s answer was to wrap his arms around Stephen’s neck from behind, pulling the taller man until his back came flush with his chest.

“Wait until I tell her it was all your idea and I wasn’t even close to being involved.”

They stayed like that for a while. Stephen settled back against Tony, who was resting against the side of the couch. They watched as the fire dwindled even more, unconcerned about the increasingly early hour and lack of sleep they were committing to. Tony busied himself with pressing his lips to every bit of skin he could reach on Stephen’s neck while the other man’s trembling fingers trailed up and down his arms.

“This is all because of you.”

Tony’s low voice in his ear sent a shiver down Stephen’s spine. He tried to move his head to look back at Tony, but the brunet rested his chin on Stephen’s shoulder, preventing any reconfiguration.

“How do you figure?” Stephen asked.

“You worked so hard, and sacrificed so much so that we could be together like this. I don’t know how, but I promise I’m going to do just as much for you.”

Stephen maneuvered Tony’s hand into his own so he could press his lips to his knuckles. “You already do, and you don’t even know it. You never even have to try.”

“I just want you to be happy.”

This time, Stephen made sure he was able to turn around. Tony’s arms loosened their grip until his hands settled on the back of Stephen’s neck. Legs tangled together as Stephen scooted closer to Tony. Their eyes met, and Stephen smiled at him softly.

“I am happy,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “So much happier than I ever thought I could be.”

“You promise?”

Stephen nodded before pressing his lips to Tony’s. “I promise.”

The next morning, May did little more than shoot Tony a look. He shrugged, smiling as if he had no idea where all the stuff under the tree had come from either. She rolled her eyes, but let it be. Everything for her indicated it had come from Peter, anyway, and the majority was for the boys. Which she in no way had a problem with.

Breakfast consisted of fresh cinnamon buns covered in icing and more hot chocolate. Peter and Harley wasted no time trying out their new video games on the giant tv above the fireplace. Snow was lightly falling outside, and the house was so perfectly warm. No one changed out of their pajamas, they just curled up in blankets on the overstuffed couches.

While seated on the couch together, Stephen stretched his arm across Tony’s shoulders and pulled him closer so he could press his lips to the side of his head. It was a quick, simple gesture, but May managed to snag a picture of it discreetly.

She got it framed when they returned to New York, and gave it to them on New Year’s Eve.

Tony moved it throughout the penthouse multiple times a day; he couldn’t find the perfect place. He wanted it everywhere, and wished there were more copies.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was originally going to be the final chapter. But I started toying with the idea of an epilogue, and then I started writing an epilogue, which turned out to be much longer than I had anticipated. Much the same with this story, which I initially thought would be 10 chapters, and here we are...
> 
> I'll post the epilogue tomorrow after putting on the final touches later tonight =)

After his fifth practice round, Harley took a deep breath and left his room, slipping the envelope in the back pocket of his jeans. He found Tony and Stephen in the living room, arguing over the worst movie sequels of all time, when they stopped upon noting the teenager standing shyly a few feet away.

“What’s up, kid?” Tony asked.

“Nothing,” Harley said with a shrug, trying to come across as casual while internally cursing Peter for talking him into doing this on his own. “I was just wondering...do you guys have any plans next Sunday?”

Tony looked at Stephen, who gave him a curious smile. “I’m sure there’s something Avengers related that I’m skipping, so nope. Totally free.” Harley just kept looking at them. “Do you have any plans next Sunday?”

“Yeah. Well, kind of. I thought that maybe you guys would want to...and Peter, too, he wants to come if that’s okay, but he wanted me to ask you guys because, uh, he thought it was the right way to do it.”

“Right way to do what?” Tony asked, starting to get nervous due to Harley’s clear unease. “What’s going on?”

“Do you guys want to go to the Yankees game on Sunday?” Harley blurted.

Tony and Stephen raised their eyebrows, not having expected that.

“They’re playing the Red Sox, so that’s kind of a big deal. I know you like the Mets better, and Peter does too, but they’re not home on Sunday,” he said to Tony before looking at Stephen. “And I know you like baseball too. So I got tickets, for the four of us, and thought it would be fun to do."

“Yeah,” Tony replied. “Of course we would, that sounds great.”

He wanted to know why Harley had gotten tickets on his own, and why he was so anxious about asking them, but that was answered when Harley spoke again.

“Okay, cool. I just thought about it because – I know it’s just a piece of paper, and it’s not that big of a deal or anything, and I haven’t known Stephen as long, but it has been two years more or less...”

Harley trailed off, wondering why he spent so much time practicing when it wasn’t doing him any good right now.

“Sunday is Father’s Day.”

Four eyes, a pair of brown and a pair of icy gray, remained on Harley intently.

“I didn’t want it to be cheesy or anything. But I wanted to show you both how much you mean to me. You guys take such good care of me, and Peter too, and I wanted to do something for you. And I thought Father’s Day made sense, and baseball too. I know it’s kind of stupid, so we don’t have to make it about that or anything. I just...I do think of you guys, that way.”

Stephen was glad Tony was able to respond, because he certainly was in no position to.

“It’s not stupid,” he was saying as he stood from the couch to cross to Harley, hugging him tightly. “It’s pretty fucking incredible, actually.”

Harley smiled as he returned the hug. When Tony let him go, he handed him the envelope containing the tickets. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but wanted to make sure you guys didn’t have anything else going on first.”

“You succeeded with the surprise,” Stephen chimed in, having stood to also hug Harley. “Despite Peter being involved.”

“He’s so bad,” Harley complained. “How has he managed to keep it a secret that he’s Spider-Man for so long?”

“I’ll never understand that,” Tony agreed. As if on cue, his phone began to ring. “Speak of the devil. Hey, Pete,” he answered, stepping away to the kitchen for a minute to talk to the other teenager.

Stephen turned to Harley. “I appreciate you including me, I really do. But I won’t be offended if you just wanted to spend the day with Tony.”

“I want you there,” Harley replied immediately. “I know we don’t have the exact same relationship, but you’re important to me too. And you’re important to him, and to Peter. It might not be a typical setup, but you’re part of it as much as anyone else.”

Before Stephen could reply, Tony returned from the kitchen with a bottle of water in hand. Upon rejoining Harley and Stephen, he pulled the phone from his ear and put it on speaker.

“Oh I’ve been meaning to ask you. Do you want to come with me to help on a project at the compound next Sunday?” he asked.

Peter’s panic was palpable through the phone. “Uh. What time? How long will it take?”

“Probably all day, I’d imagine,” Tony replied. “But I need to know right now so I can get everything set up, ya know. Book the room, make sure everyone leaves us alone. So just block off the entire day, don’t commit to anything else alright?”

Stephen whacked Tony on the arm. Harley smirked. Peter almost had a meltdown.

“I don’t know, Mr. Stark, I mean that’s like a whole week away and who knows what will come up. Maybe we should just pencil it in and if there’s nothing else going on then we can go to the compound?”

“What else could come up?” Tony wanted to know.

“Peter, we know about the game,” Stephen said, coming to Peter’s aid.

“Come on!” Tony huffed. “You’re no fun.”

“The kid is about to have a heart attack, Tony. Stop torturing him.”

“Oh thank god,” Peter exhaled through the phone. “That wasn’t cool, man. Not at all.”

“You’re fine,” Tony said, rolling his eyes even though Peter couldn’t see him. “You’re coming over for dinner, right?”

“Yeah,” Peter replied. “May leaves for her shift in about an hour, I’ll be over then.”

“Subway, no swinging,” Tony declared before hanging up.

Through sheer force of will, Tony bit his tongue against yelling at Harley for spending his own money on good seats for the game. The teenager had been working as a tutor for some younger students, and made a little bit of money doing that, although he did it because he enjoyed it. Tony calculated that he would have had to spend almost all of the money he made during the school year for the tickets, but could clearly see how proud Harley was to have done this and how much it meant to him.

So for once, Tony didn’t say anything.

* * *

Eight days later, the four of them were sitting out in the sun, on a perfect June afternoon, watching the Red Sox beat the Yankees.

They were among the few fans there who didn’t care that the home team lost.

Harley and Peter were much more concerned with eating everything in sight. Which they accomplished quite well.

For Stephen’s part, he spent most of his time watching Tony and the boys, almost unable to take his eyes off of how happy they all were. Harley kept reminding Peter and Tony to not openly root against the Yankees so that they wouldn’t get anything thrown at them. Luckily, the people around them quickly got over the fact that they were sitting near two superheroes, so there were limited interruptions to their day. The biggest issue they faced seemed to be that the lemonade guy wasn’t coming over to their section quick enough.

As they left the game, Tony noticed that they had more than an hour to kill before their dinner reservation at their collective favorite pizza place. But a solution presented itself as they walked towards the restaurant.

An escape room.

Thanks to a cancellation, they were able to get right in to play before dinner. Stephen and Tony had never partaken in one before, but Peter and Harley were ecstatic.

“No magic,” Harley ordered, pointing at Stephen.

The sorcerer held his hands up. “Hey, if anyone is going to cheat, it would be Tony.”

After a short huff, Tony shrugged. “Yeah, he’s got a point.”

The room they had to escape from was designed to be a fallout shelter. Given the advanced intelligence of everyone in attendance, it didn’t take them very long to work through the clues to get to the end, where they had to diffuse a nuclear reactor in order to escape.

Stephen and Peter were reading off the instructions as they flashed across the screen while Tony and Harley stood on either side of the reactor, their task being to adjust the switches and buttons accordingly.

“Fission level to 4,” Peter called out.

“Wait. Fission or fusion?” Tony asked.

“Fission.”

“That’s mine,” Harley declared, but it was too late.

“Damn it, Tony,” Stephen swore. “Stop touching things!”

“We only have five seconds to do each one!”

“Every time you mess it up it locks us out for 30 seconds!”

“I know! But we have almost twenty minutes left and this is the last thing, relax about it.”

“I’ll relax when you stop messing up.”

“Switch with me, Mr. Stark,” Peter said with a laugh while they waited for the timer to give them the next instruction.

Tony reluctantly went over to stand with Stephen. “You know that I built a reactor in a cave, right? That this is kind of my thing?”

“Then why are you the only one having a hard time with this?”

“You are so lucky the kids are here right now,” Tony said, trying to glare, but smirking instead.

“Yeah? What would you do?”

“I’ll show you later.”

Harley and Peter groaned in unison.

“Please stop so we can get out of here and away from you guys,” Harley pleaded.

With Tony under Stephen’s supervision, they were able to diffuse the bomb and escape from the room, setting a new record, much to Harley and Peter’s delight.

Despite eating everything in sight at the game, Peter and Harley also took down their fair share of bread and pizza while at dinner. Thanks to the perfect summer night, they were able to walk back to the tower, getting ice cream and milkshakes on their way.

“Why would you get a vanilla shake?” Harley wanted to know.

“Why not?” Tony asked. “I like vanilla shakes.”

“With all the flavors of ice cream and toppings and everything, you pick the plainest thing. You, of all people, pick something plain.”

“Maybe I did it to drive you nuts,” Tony offered.

“You should know by now it’s not worth trying to figure him out,” Stephen said. “He made french fries at four in the morning the other day.”

“Oh,” Harley said in realization. “So that’s where those came from.”

“You ate the rest of them on me, didn’t you?”

Harley shrugged. “I needed something with my sandwich, and we were out of chips.”

“Unacceptable,” Tony decided.

What was acceptable was going back to the penthouse to spend the rest of the night watching Netflix. Tony and Stephen let the boys pick, more than content to watch The Office for the umpteenth time with how much it made the pair laugh.

After several episodes, Harley followed Tony into the kitchen while the older man was planning to retrieve more drinks. Before reaching the fridge, Tony became aware of the teenager’s presence, however, so he turned around to look at him.

“Water or more soda?” Tony asked.

“Uh, water,” Harley answered. “But I just wanted to say...today was really fun.”

Tony didn’t turn back to the fridge just yet. “Yeah,” he agreed with a smile. “It was a great day.”

Harley nodded. “I know how lucky I am to have you, Peter and Stephen too, but especially you. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“I’m not planning on making you ever find out,” Tony said as he drew Harley into a hug. “But that’s actually something Stephen and I wanted to talk to you about.”

Harley raised an eyebrow, but let Tony lead him back into the living room, where Stephen was starting to clean up the living room while Peter had disappeared to take a shower before bed. The teenager went over and sat down on the couch, looking up at them expectantly.

“What’s going on?” he asked hesitantly.

Stephen glanced over at Tony. “Am I supposed to know what he's talking about?”

“I figured now was as good a time as any to tell him,” Tony replied with a shrug. He went and sat on the couch next to Harley, while Stephen took up the arm chair.

“You know that I absolutely hate it when you do this, right?” Harley asked. “I have no idea if you’re about to tell me that one of you has cancer or if you’re getting married.”

“The second one,” Tony answered.

Harley blinked a few times. “What? You’re engaged?”

Tony breathed a laugh. “Not exactly, I guess. We just kind of started talking about it one night, and decided we wanted to. But we don’t really want to have an actual wedding. Just something quick, with you and Peter as the witnesses, if you guys would be okay with that.”

“When did you decide this?” Harley asked, out of pure curiosity.

Tony shrugged, looking over to Stephen for help.

“A week ago, maybe?” Stephen offered.

“You don’t remember when you decided you were going to get married?” Harley asked, unimpressed with the adults before him.

Tony smiled. “It wasn’t really the most important thing we talked about.”

“What’s more important than marriage?” Harley wanted to know.

Stephen watched as Tony’s eyes stayed on him, so he took the reins. “Well, you,” he answered. Harley frowned slightly at that. “We talked about a few things that night. We couldn’t sleep and kind of got carried away with a bunch of different scenarios.”

“Hard to believe, I know,” Tony joked to let Stephen gather his thoughts.

After taking a deep breath, Stephen continued. “I know that there’s already a provision in Tony’s will that if he...if something happens, May would be your guardian. But we were talking, about getting married and all of that, and thought that maybe...” he took another steadying breath. “I wanted to ask you, about us getting married first, even though Tony was adamant that you would be fine with it.”

“What do you mean? Ask me what?”

The blush that crossed Stephen’s face made a smile tug at Tony’s lips. The sorcerer’s defined cheekbones only further highlighted the rosiness on his pale skin, which he was all too aware of.

“If you’re okay with it,” Stephen replied, seemingly nervous about the answer.

Harley opened his mouth to respond, but then shut it again when realization dawned on him. His confusion gave way to light amusement.

“Wait. Are you asking me for my permission to marry Tony?”

“Blessing, really,” Stephen mumbled, mostly to himself. “But, yes.”

The teenager was unable to comprehend this. “You didn’t even ask him,” he pointed out, jerking his head towards Tony. “But you want to know what I think?”

Stephen nodded. He knew Harley wasn’t trying to torture him, he was genuinely surprised at Stephen’s inquisition, which lead him to believe he was going to be in the clear at the end of all of this.

“We’ve had this conversation before,” Stephen said. Harley raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask when, Stephen went on. “You’re the most important person in Tony’s life. And I know he’s equally as important to you. Anything that happens to him, happens to you. Even though we’re not making a huge deal out of it, it’s still a big deal. It’s something I want to be sure you’re okay with.”

In lieu of an immediate response, Harley looked over at Tony. “After hearing that, how are you not on one knee proposing to him right now?”

Brown eyes looked back at him, shiny with tears. “Because I’m an absolute idiot and don’t have a ring.”

Harley opted not to berate Tony for that and turned back to Stephen. “I think I’m the one who should be asking you if you’re sure about him, not the other way around.”

A breathy laugh escaped from Stephen’s lungs. “You make a good point, but I’m sure.”

“So am I,” Harley agreed immediately. “Honestly, I’m surprised it’s taken you guys this long.”

“Hey,” Tony chimed in. “We’ve got a lot going on. Give us a break.”

Even though he rolled his eyes, Harley caught the look on Stephen’s face. “But there’s more, isn’t there,” he stated instead of asked.

Stephen nodded slightly. “I was wondering...what you thought about me adopting you as well.”

“Why would you do that?” Harley asked, cocking his head to the side slightly. Just as all of the air was going out of Stephen’s lungs, Harley looked between him and Tony. “Doesn’t that happen automatically if you get married?”

Tony could swear he felt the relief radiating off Stephen. “Not exactly,” Tony replied. “He wouldn’t be your guardian just because he’s married to me. But we thought that it might make sense, even though you’re almost technically an adult.”

“You want to do that?” Harley asked shyly, turning back to Stephen.

The sorcerer looked as sheepish as Tony had ever seen him. “I do. One of the, uh, the things I told Tony the other night was that I didn’t think I would ever want a family of my own. I had enough issues with mine growing up. But with you two it’s...different.”

Harley swallowed down the lump that was forming in his throat. “So if something...if Tony couldn’t...” he shook his head slowly. “I could keep living with you?”

“Yeah,” Stephen replied. “If that’s what you want.”

Before Harley could inquire, Tony chimed in. “The process wouldn’t be as drawn out as it was last time, it would be a lot simpler.”

A grin broke out onto Harley’s face. “Yeah, that’s what I want.” He let out a short laugh. “I just can’t believe you guys are engaged and are being so lame about it.”

Tony and Stephen exchanged looks. “How are we lame?” Tony demanded.

“You just decided to get married one night? No one proposed? I figured with how dramatic you both are there would have been something way over the top. At least some fireworks.”

“So now you’re mad that I _wasn’t_ over the top? Make up your damn mind, kid,” Tony mumbled.

Harley couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “I know one baseball game doesn’t equal everything you guys have done for me, but I hope you know how much I care. About both of you.”

“It wasn’t just a baseball game,” Tony replied with a soft smile.

Harley rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. “It was the best thing I could think of. I know that you’re not...you know, technically related to me. But you’re both so much better than the guy who was. So I just wanted you both to know that I love you guys.”

The emotion that had started to tighten Harley’s throat softened into a laugh as he was engulfed in a hug by both Tony and Stephen at the same time.

“We love you too,” Tony said, pressing a quick kiss to Harley’s hair before they released him.

In true teenager fashion, Harley changed the subject slightly before he got too overwhelmed with emotion. “So, when are you guys going to tie the knot?”

Tony shrugged as if Harley was asking what movie they wanted to watch. “We didn’t get that far. I guess whenever we want, really, because it’ll be a quick thing anyway.”

“How romantic,” Harley teased, rolling his eyes to emphasize his sarcasm. “As long as you guys are happy.”

“We are,” Stephen replied, making no attempt at holding back his smile.

“We’ll tell Peter in the morning,” Tony added. “We wanted you to be the first to know.”

They said goodnight and watched as he went down the hallway to his room.

“Do you remember the day we met?” Stephen asked, turning to look at Tony from where he had taken over Harley’s seat on the couch.

The genius raised an eyebrow. “Vaguely. Sort of rings a bell.”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Up until that day, I was convinced that you were the only person on the planet more selfish and conceited than me.” Tony just looked back at him, knowing this had to be going somewhere better than that. “I’ve never been so happy to be so wrong about something in my life.”

“You changed me. You, and Harley, and Peter. Without you...” he trailed off, not needing to elaborate. He could tell by Stephen’s eyes he understood.

“It should tell you something that three people as great as we are like you so much,” Stephen mused, earning a laugh from the man next to him.

Tony pulled Stephen against him, sighing into the embrace. “I really like our little family,” he mumbled into Stephen’s shoulder.

“Me too,” Stephen agreed. “I think it’s pretty perfect.”

“I wouldn’t change a single thing."


	28. Chapter 28

To say that Harley grew up fast was an extreme understatement. It seemed to Tony that he blinked, and the fifteen year old who had shown up soaked to the bone was now a full fledged adult. Harley had accumulated almost as many degrees as Tony himself had before settling into a job designing medical equipment. He started off working for Stark Industries, but he was quickly able to branch off into his own company with both Stephen and Tony’s help.

It was no surprise that Harley was so successful academically and professionally. He had always been a smart kid, and work ethic was never an issue. But as far as Tony and Stephen were concerned, that was nothing compared to the man Harley had turned out to be. Again, not a surprise, but that didn’t make it any less heart warming.

Heart warming was also an understatement, Stephen thought, as he watched Tony explaining to the four year old girl sitting on the counter why she couldn’t have strictly chocolate chips for breakfast.

“Do you want your parents to ban you from being able to come here anymore?” Tony asked dramatically.

“Ollie they won’t! They love you and Doc too much.”

The smile was probably never going to leave Stephen’s face at this point, and he was just fine with that. The nicknames their granddaughter had given them were likely to stick for quite some time, which is something neither of them would change. When she began speaking, ‘Tony’ was apparently too difficult to say, so it became Ollie, whereas she picked up Doc from the engineer easily enough.

Stephen found himself looking back on the memory of when they found out this beautiful little girl would be coming into their lives.

“ _We have something to tell you guys.”_

_As soon as Harley had the words out, Stephen was turning to Tony. “If you make another divorce joke, I swear to god it will be your last.”_

_Tony had to work rather hard to keep his smirk at bay. “Are you threatening to kill me or divorce me?”_

“ _Yes.”_

_Laughter from Sam, Harley’s wife, brought the older adults’ attention back to the recent newlyweds sitting across from them._

“ _It’s actually much better news than that,” Harley replied, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. He unconsciously slipped his hand into Sam’s. Her fingers closing around his in a firm squeeze urged him on after he took a deep breath. “We’re having a baby.”_

_It took a few minutes for the excitement to die down. Several rounds of hugs later, and the questions began._

“ _When are you due?” Stephen asked, the doctor in him coming out just a bit._

“ _December,” Sam replied with a bright smile._

_Tony’s eyebrows came together. “Wait, December? But you guys got married-”_

“ _Can you stop doing math for five seconds in your life?” Harley groaned._

_Sam laughed again. “I told you we weren’t going to be able to sneak it by them.”_

“ _We found out a few weeks before the wedding,” Harley added with a shy shrug. “But we had to wait, to tell you guys. I guess that’s a rule?”_

“ _We’re going with ‘rule’ because I didn’t think ‘general guideline’ would be followed,” Sam explained._

_Stephen feigned a thoughtful look. “I have no idea where he would have learned to behave that way.”_

_Tony shot Stephen an unimpressed look. “Cute,” he muttered before looking back at Sam and Harley. “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?”_

“ _We find out in a few more weeks,” Sam replied. “Despite what Harley’s read in books...”_

“ _It shouldn’t take as long as they say it does,” Harley huffed. “I don’t care either way. I just want to know.”_

_Before Stephen could make a comment about that also being something Harley likely picked up from Tony, the engineer was standing from his seat at the table and going over to the fridge to pull out the dessert._

_After everyone had their fair share, Tony and Harley set to work washing the dishes while Sam went with Stephen into the living room, where she promised to only ask him about fifty or so questions._

“ _You alright?”_

_Tony’s question brought Harley out of his trance. He realized he had been staring out the window over the sink out to the lake, which was fading from sight as the early summer sun was finally setting. He was thinking about when Tony had brought him and Stephen here to show them the house the summer between Harley’s freshman and sophomore years at MIT. A smile tugged at his lips at the memory of Tony forgetting to mention that he had already bought the place prior to telling either of them._

“ _I think so,” Harley replied, letting out a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. “I just kind of freak out in between the excitement and stuff, you know? I’m trying to be prepared, but the more stuff I read the more I realize that this is a lot. Like, a lot a lot. It’s a baby. I’m going to be in charge of an actual baby.”_

“ _Yeah, you are,” Tony agreed with a small laugh. “And you’re going to do great. You’re going to be such an amazing dad, Harley. That’s one lucky kid.”_

“ _But what if I-”_

“ _Don’t,” Tony interrupted, stopping him gently. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you, kid, but there’s an endless amount of things that can go wrong. Some of them are going to happen. Most of them won’t. But you’re already way ahead of the game.”_

_Harley shook his head slowly. “What do you mean?”_

_Tony dried his hands on a dish towel, the smile never leaving his face. “You’ve somehow managed to get an incredible girl to fall in love with you,” he teased. “And you so very clearly love her. The fact that you’re worried about being a good dad, on top of all of that, is all that it really takes.”_

“ _How do you figure?” Harley wanted to know._

“ _You care about being a good dad, a good husband. It doesn’t mean you won’t mess up, but it does mean that you’re starting off a hell of a lot farther ahead than some people.”_

_Further explanation wasn’t needed. Harley realized that they both had experience with fathers who never really cared about their impact on their sons. And despite that, the two of them came out the other side._

“ _Is it weird that I want a girl?” Harley asked after a beat of silence. Tony just cocked his head slightly. “I really don’t care as long as they’re healthy. But I’ll be honest, the idea of a little girl is just...”_

_Tossing the towel to Harley, Tony shook his head with a smile. “No, it’s not weird. Just don’t name her something obnoxious, alright?”_

“Hannah.”

Tony’s voice brought Stephen out of his own head. His husband was trying to scold the little girl, but he was failing miserably.

“If you eat all of the chocolate chips, there won’t be any left for the muffins. Then what are we going to do? Eat plain muffins? Is that what you want?”

The giggling coming from Hannah was nearly uncontrollable, and only intensified when Stephen came fully into the kitchen.

“Doc will make more for us,” she decided.

Tony turned to see the aforementioned sorcerer coming up to stand between them, unable to resist picking Hannah up as she held her arms out. She settled easily into his side and wrapped her little arms around his neck.

“Don’t waste your time trying to argue with him,” Stephen said, nodding towards Tony. “You know he’s going to let you do whatever you want anyway.”

Hannah giggled again. “You do too, Doc,” she astutely pointed out.

“And whose fault is that?” Stephen wanted to know. “You’re a very clever little con artist.”

“She gets that from Harley, not me,” Tony declared, pointing a flour covered finger at Stephen. “So don’t you start.”

Before Stephen could retort, he was distracted. “Will it be warm enough out today to go swimming?” Hannah asked as she looked longingly out the glass doors to the yard leading to the shimmering blue lake.

“I think we’ll be able to get away with it,” Stephen replied, noting the look he got from Tony. “I bet the water is nice and warm,” he added with a wink directed at his husband.

Tony rolled his eyes, but had to turn away so that Stephen didn’t see his smirk.

As if he hadn’t known it would be there anyway.

Using magic to spoil Hannah wasn’t something Stephen did often, but when it came to certain things, he couldn’t help himself. Making it so she could go swimming, which was very clearly her favorite thing ever, in early May was one of those certain things.

The muffins (a little light on the chocolate chips) were coming out of the oven just as Stephen and Hannah returned from getting the little girl changed for a swim. She was not at all impressed with having to eat breakfast first and then wait for some reason before going into the water. She made her dissatisfaction known by eating her breakfast in the pillow fort that was still standing in the living room from the previous night, but quickly forgot she was trying to play hardball when the muffin made her thirsty.

“Ollie,” she said as she crawled out of her fort and up onto the couch next to Tony. “Could I please have some chocolate milk?”

“I thought you were mad at me?”

Hannah frowned. “Don’t be silly. I don’t get mad at you and you don’t get mad at me.”

How was he to argue with that logic?

Stephen was ultimately the one to get up and go to the kitchen to retrieve the milk after Hannah had decided to situate herself on Tony’s lap and request they resume watching the live stream cameras of the baby penguins at the aquarium.

“Is uncle Pete coming for dinner later?” Hannah asked, never taking her eyes of the screen, even as Stephen handed over her chocolate milk.

“Yep,” Tony replied, watching Hannah with a smile instead of the screen. “Everyone should be here around four. Your mom and dad might even be a bit earlier.”

Sam and Harley had taken a long weekend trip to celebrate their anniversary, leaving Hannah to spend the time with her more than willing Ollie and Doc. Even though she was still quite young, Hannah never had any issues spending multiple nights away from her parents, so long as she was with her two favorite people.

“Oh actually, that reminds me,” Tony said, turning to Stephen. “Ben and or Sara left their sweatshirt here last week. But I’m not entirely positive where I put it.”

“It’s on a hook by the back door,” Stephen answered.

The two men shared a knowing smile before looking back at Hannah, who was explaining to them how long penguins could swim underwater.

If you had told either of them at any point in their early adult years that they would be watching penguin videos with the daughter of their adoptive son and talking about where the sweatshirt belonging to a six year old had ended up in their lake house, well, disbelief would have been the least of it.

But that’s where they both were, and neither of them wanted to be anywhere else.

Several hours later, Tony was finally able to convince Hannah to vacate the water and get cleaned up and changed for dinner. Stephen had just finished putting together the salad when the pair came back downstairs. Not long after, the sounds of car doors closing and children running up the driveway to the front porch came into the kitchen, prompting Hannah to jump down off of her seat and bolt to go greet her friends.

An exhausted looking Peter and a smiling MJ followed the six year old twins, who wasted no time running around the back of the house with Hannah to go play in the yard.

“We have too many kids,” Peter sighed, putting his head on MJ’s shoulder dramatically.

“Yeah, I do. Three is a lot,” she replied, patting Peter’s hair teasingly.

High school sweethearts weren’t the most common occurrence anymore, but common never really applied to either Peter or Michelle. They had gotten married shortly after college, when they were still fairly young, but neither of them could think of a reason to wait much longer. Their twins, Ben and Sara, were two years older than Hannah, but the trio was inseparable.

With the lasagna in the oven and everything else ready to go, Tony and Stephen joined Peter and MJ outside on the back porch to watch the kids playing by the water.

Harley and Sam’s arrival was marked by quick hugs from Hannah before she returned to her game with Ben and Sara.

“Missed you too,” Harley waved as Hannah promptly ran away after he released her. “She’ll be back when she remembers we bring her presents.”

“How was she?” Sam asked before hugging Tony, who kissed her on the cheek in greeting.

“Absolutely insufferable,” Tony replied. “Right from the get go. Rude, insolent, downright mean, really.”

Sam smiled at the ever persistent sarcasm from Tony. “Sounds like our daughter.”

After some effort, the parents were able to corral the children into the house and get everyone settled for dinner. Keeping with tradition, Sunday dinner was loud and relatively messy. As much time was spent by the adults in attendance ensuring the kids ate the right proportions as they did eating themselves. Per usual, Ben was trying to have dessert supplanted right in the middle of dinner, whereas Sara made a case for skipping the meal altogether and going right for the ice cream.

Utilizing the hose connected to the sink, Peter and Harley were able to successfully ward off Tony and Stephen from doing the dishes, ordering them to instead go back outside where the kids would certainly want their presence over their own fathers’. Making quick work of cleaning up, Harley and Peter soon joined everyone else on the back porch. Hannah was sharing Tony’s seat, Ben was next to Stephen and asking a question every five seconds while finishing his ice cream, and Sara was between Michelle and Sam, doing much the same as her brother.

Harley watched as Hannah shuffled closer to Tony, huddling up against his side until he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Are you cold honey?” he asked as he pushed her brown hair away from her face.

“No, just a little tired I guess” she sighed happily.

Despite that response, Tony managed to pull his sweatshirt off and spread it over the little girl, who burrowed further against him with the additional warmth.

“Do you think it has anything to do with how many times you made us watch Frozen instead of going to bed?” Tony inquired.

Hannah shook her head emphatically. “No way.”

Harley’s laugh got his daughter to look over at him. “How many chicken nuggets did you eat this weekend?” he asked.

She looked up at Tony, then back at her dad. “Just the normal amount,” she shrugged. “I didn’t keep count.”

“It would have been impossible,” Tony added.

When Peter, MJ, and the twins took their leave, the remaining group went inside. With the sun starting to go down, it was just a bit too chilly to stay out on the porch. Stephen made sure to give the sweatshirt belonging to one of the twins (no one was quite sure which one it actually belonged to, least of all Ben or Sara) before they made their way home. It was a school night, after all.

Minutes after the house quieted down, Hannah was asleep against Tony, still wrapped in his sweatshirt. She slept soundly while the adults talked quietly, mostly about Harley and Sam’s trip to Vermont.

“Thank you guys so much,” Sam relayed.

Stephen smiled. “She was perfect, per usual.”

“I’m pretty sure you would say that even if she burned this entire place to the ground,” Harley mused.

“Of course,” Stephen agreed. “I would just blame Tony.”

Not willing to risk waking Hannah up, Tony settled for shooting Stephen a look as opposed to reaching out to him in some half measured strike.

“Damn it,” Tony suddenly sighed. “I forgot to put Hannah’s stuff together earlier. Stephen, can you-”

“I got it,” Sam said as she stood. Before Stephen could protest, she started for the stairs. “You two do enough for us. I can put my daughter’s clothes in a bag.”

Knowing there were a few things still out back, Stephen also got up and made his way to the porch, leaving Harley to watch his daughter sleeping against Tony.

“She’s obsessed with you,” the younger man noted with a warm smile.

Tony rested his chin on the top of Hannah’s head. “She’s my favorite thing of all time.”

“Peter and I get replaced that easily?”

“It’s not even close, kid,” Tony replied with a smirk. “And Stephen never even stood a chance.”

“A chance at what?” the sorcerer asked as he returned to the living room.

“At Tony liking you more than Hannah,” Harley explained.

“Oh. Well I like her more than I like him too, so I guess that’s fair.”

At the sound of Sam making her way back downstairs, Tony gently started to wake Hannah. The four year old has, on multiple occasions, made it very clear that she really does not appreciate waking up back home without having had the opportunity to say goodbye to Ollie and Doc. So despite hating to disturb the peacefulness, Tony coaxed her awake with practiced ease.

“Wake up, sweetie,” he said softly as he rubbed her back, the sight making both Harley and Stephen’s hearts swell. “It’s time to head back home.”

Hannah’s eyelids fluttered open to reveal her sleepy hazel eyes, which immediately looked up at Tony. She put her head on his shoulder, but kept her eyes open.

“When am I going to see you again?” she needed to know.

“Wednesday, honey,” Tony replied. “I’m going to pick you up from pre-school with Doc and then we’ll go to the aquarium.”

That got her to pick her head up fully. “Really?”

“Promise,” Tony replied before kissing her forehead.

Prior to handing her off to Harley, Stephen approached and mimicked Tony’s actions in his goodbye. Harley took over as Hannah’s pillow and kept Tony’s sweatshirt securely around her. He didn’t even attempt to give it back, knowing all too well that the older man would insist Hannah keep it to stay warm on the drive home.

They said their goodbyes, leaving Tony and Stephen to watch out the front door as Harley got Hannah settled into the car before driving away. It was only then that Tony turned off the outside light and locked the door before retreating back into the cozy home with Stephen.

Before he was able to fall back onto the couch, Stephen was pulling him against his chest, hugging him tightly. Tony laughed slightly into the embrace, but wrapped his arms around Stephen’s waist to return it.

“What did I do to deserve such affection?” Tony asked before nuzzling against Stephen’s neck.

Stephen hummed. “It’s hard to say. It might have something to do with you being the greatest thing I have ever seen.”

“I thought we agreed Hannah held that title?” Tony teased.

“Yes, but, you’re a different kind of great. Your own kind.”

Without letting go of Stephen, Tony managed to pull them both down onto the couch, where he promptly leveraged Stephen back against the pillows on one end and situated himself between his husband and the back of the couch. Stephen obliged happily, stretching out his long legs to tangle with Tony’s and making sure the other man stayed securely against him.

If it weren’t for Tony’s incessant toying with the bottom of Stephen’s shirt, he would have thought he had fallen asleep. His breathing was deep and even, and the rest of his body was perfectly still and relaxed. Save for the fingers of his right hand, which just didn’t seem to want to stop moving.

Stephen didn’t need to ask in order to know what Tony was thinking about. The conversation they had been having prior to Hannah’s arrival for the weekend was one they had been having more increasingly over the last few months, but that didn’t make it any easier for Stephen to stomach. Tony, on the other hand, had a different mindset about it altogether.

It had started with Tony making an offhand comment about hating that he was too old to have sex in the shower. They had been in the shower at the time, which was not an uncommon occurrence. Even when they had first started dating, fooling around under the water wasn’t their usual practice; they just enjoyed the extra time together. On this occasion, however, Tony had huffed his annoyance, and for some reason, it stuck out to Stephen that Tony had only been talking about himself.

Of course, the sorcerer was well aware that he wasn’t aging at a normal rate. But it really wasn’t until that night that he realized he basically wasn’t aging at all. While Tony’s hair was almost completely gray, Stephen’s still only sported the streaks at the temples. The older of the pair wasn’t yet sixty, but he would be reaching that milestone next May, and that started to put things into perspective.

It was no mystery that Tony’s body had been put through countless intense traumas over his lifetime, most of which came in the past two decades or so since he became Iron Man. Everything had taken its toll, the most serious of which was inflicted to his heart and lungs. While he was currently in as good of health as could be expected, there was no question that his life expectancy had been shortened. With Stephen’s having been likely extended, and their already existent age gap, that meant the likelihood that Tony would be gone before Stephen.

As if he could hear Stephen’s thoughts, Tony shifted so his chin was resting on Stephen’s rib cage and looked up at the other man.

“I don’t mean to keep bringing it up,” Tony said quietly. “I know how much it bothers you.”

Stephen lifted a shaking hand to brush his fingers through Tony’s soft hair. “I know,” he said with a smile. “It doesn’t bother me that you bring it up, or when we talk about it. It’s...it’s the thought of losing you that I can’t stand.”

“You aren’t going to any time soon,” Tony said resolutely. He propped himself up with his elbow to look at Stephen better. “And I know it’s not fair to keep saying this, but at least they’ll all still have you if I’m gone.”

“That’s the hard part,” Stephen said, trying to swallow down the lump in his throat. “The thought of having to see any of them, especially Hannah, when they find out you’re...” he trailed off, trying to remind himself that this is something that is part of life, and not happening tomorrow.

Tony gently took Stephen’s other hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the scarred fingers lightly. “She’ll be a lot older. And she’s tough, that kid. She’ll be okay, especially if she still has you.”

Tears had started to fall from Stephen’s gray eyes. He made no attempt to wipe them away.

“I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to live without you.”

Tony moved up so he could kiss away Stephen’s tears, before pressing their lips together firmly. “You’ve got some time. You’re a smart guy, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

The laugh that came from Stephen wasn’t much, but it was enough. He pulled Tony down for another kiss, sighing into the feeling. Their hands stayed together, Tony lacing his fingers through Stephen’s carefully. They kissed slowly, with not even the slightest hint of things escalating. Maybe that would happen later, once they were up in their bedroom together. But for now, they couldn’t imagine much being better than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, commenting and kudosing! It's very much appreciated and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it!


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